HR: 0800h
AN: OS21C-1255    [Abstracts]
TI: Long-term estimates of geostrophic transport in the Gulf Stream
AU: * Hooker, D
EM: dhooker@geol.sc.edu
AF: University of South Carolina, Dept. of Geological Sciences 701 Sumter St, Columbia, SC 29208 United States
AU: Styles, R
EM: rstyles@geol.sc.edu
AF: University of South Carolina, Dept. of Geological Sciences 701 Sumter St, Columbia, SC 29208 United States
AU: Stancyk, S
EM: stancyk@sc.edu
AF: University of South Carolina, Dept. of Geological Sciences 701 Sumter St, Columbia, SC 29208 United States
AU: Sautter, L
EM: SautterL@cofc.edu
AF: College of Charleston, Department of Geology, Charleston, SC 29424 United States
AU: Helmuth, B
EM: helmuth@biol.sc.edu
AF: University of South Carolina, Dept. of Geological Sciences 701 Sumter St, Columbia, SC 29208 United States
AB: Western boundary currents such as the Gulf Stream transport tremendous amounts of mass and heat from the warm tropics to the cooler temperate zones. As such, accurately quantifying long-term Gulf Stream transport is critical to understanding meridional heat transfer and associated global climate. In this study, current measurements in conjunction with satellite altimetry data are incorporated in a predictive model of Gulf Stream mass transport. Nearly 2 weeks of in-situ measurements were collected in the section of the Gulf Stream that flows along the outer continental margin adjacent to South Carolina at approximately 31›¦30­_ N latitude and 79›¦00­_ W longitude. To characterize the hydrodynamic regime, full water column currents were measured using 2 hull-mounted Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCPs) over a 2-week period in August 2003. CTD profiles were obtained a minimum of twice per day and will be used to estimate the geostrophic velocity using the thermal wind equation. Depth-independent estimates of the geostrophic current will be computed from cross-stream sea surface height anomaly (SSHA) data obtained from the Jason-1 satellite altimeter. Historical SSHA data will be used to produce a decadal time series of Gulf Stream mass transport in the South Atlantic Bight.
DE: 4512 Currents
DE: 4576 Western boundary currents
SC: Ocean Sciences [OS]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting