Argo Floats Revealing Bimodality of Large-Scale Mid-Depth Circulation in the North Atlantic
Abstract
Analysis of Argo float trajectories at 1000 m and temperature at 950 m in the North Atlantic between November 2003 and January 2005 demonstrates the existence of two different circulation modes with fast transition between them. Each mode has a pair of cyclonic-anticyclonic gyres. The difference is the location of the cyclonic gyre. The cyclonic gyre stretches from southeast to northwest in the first mode and from the southwest to the northeast in the second mode. The observed modes strongly affect the heat and salt transport in the North Atlantic. In particular, the second mode slows down the westward transport of the warm and saline water from the Mediterranean Sea.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2008
- Accession Number
- ADA482129
Entities
People
- Leonid M. Lvanov
- Oleg V. Melnichenko
- Peter Cheng Chu
- Rongfeng Li
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School