Circulation and Internal Waves in a Cold Gulf Stream Waves.
Abstract
Under this program an existing salt-bridge GEK was refurbished and used extensively in the Florida Current and Gulf Stream. The purposes of these measurements were to measure the ambient electric field in the ocean and to determine from a moving vessel the voltage differences across the Current and Stream. The experiment was conducted as part of a joint ONR-NOAA sponsored cruise on the USNS Lynch. The GEK is a device to measure the voltage between two points at or near the sea surface at separations of about 16 m. The velocity component of the ocean normal to the ship's heading was determined by tracking several LORAN-C stations using a precise receiver, Internav LC404, in a range-range mode. The accuracy of the LORAN system developed for this work is estimated to be about 1 cm/s over 5 minute intervals. The vessel's gyrocompass was used to determine heading. The plan for the Lynch cruise was to conduct several joint axcp and Pegaasus stations, traverse the Florida Current on reciprocal courses several times, conduct an experiment to measure depth-averaged vorticity in the Current and survey a cold core ring inn the Sargasso Sea. The goals of the measurements were to test the wave-mean flow interaction theory of Kunze (1984) and to describe the baroclinic and baratropic structure of a cold-core ring from underway measurements. Using the techniques described above it was possible to discover and map the feature in terms of temperature and velocity. The velocity information is notable and the innovation of this particular research and cruise.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 1984
- Accession Number
- ADA149704
Entities
People
- Thomas B. Sanford
Organizations
- University of Washington