Dynamics of Boundary Currents and Marginal Seas: Windward Passage Experiment
Abstract
The long-term goals of this research are to understand the dynamics of ocean circulation near continental margins, with emphasis on western boundary current systems and circulation and exchange processes in marginal seas. From October 2003 to February 2005 a field experiment was conducted in the Windward Passage to determine the mean flow structure in the passage and its variability on time scales from tidal to seasonal. The data from this experiment will be combined with other recent time series measurements in the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico and available modeling results to address the dynamical linkages within the basins and implications for such processes as Loop Current eddy shedding in the Gulf of Mexico. Our objectives are to produce: (i) a detailed description of the mean inflow structure in the Windward Passage and its vertical and horizontal structure, (ii) a description of the modes of variability of the flow in the passage and their characteristic time scales and relationships to forcing, and (iii) an understanding of the relationship of the Windward Passage inflow to the other principal inflows and outflows from the basin.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 30, 2006
- Accession Number
- ADA612623
Entities
People
- William E. Johns
Organizations
- University of Miami