HR: 15:45h
AN: OS34A-02    [Abstracts]
TI: Current Measurements Under Hurricane Ivan
AU: * Mitchell, D A
EM: doug.mitchell@nrlssc.navy.mil
AF: Naval Research Laboratory, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529-5004 United States
AU: Teague, W J
EM: teague@nrlssc.navy.mil
AF: Naval Research Laboratory, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529-5004 United States
AU: Jarosz, E
EM: ewa.jarosz@nrlssc.navy.mil
AF: Naval Research Laboratory, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529-5004 United States
AU: Wang, D W
EM: david.wang@nrlssc.navy.mil
AF: Naval Research Laboratory, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529-5004 United States
AU: Hulbert, M S
EM: mark.hulbert@nrlssc.navy.mil
AF: Naval Research Laboratory, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529-5004 United States
AB: The Naval Research Laboratory has undertaken an intensive measurement program in the northeast Gulf of Mexico as part of its Slope to Shelf Energetics and Exchange Dynamics (SEED) project. To understand cross-shelf exchange processes, with the primary focus on currents just west of the DeSoto Canyon, 6 acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCPs) were deployed on the shelf bottom at depths ranging from 60 to 90m, and 8 Long Ranger ADCPs were deployed about 500 m below the surface on the slope at depths ranging from 500 to 1000 m. Additionally, the deep moorings contained a current meter located 100 m above the bottom. Fortuitously, the eye of Hurricane Ivan passed directly through the array without disrupting the instrumentation. For the first time, extreme storm induced currents spanning from just west of the eye to just east of the region of maximum wind stress were measured. Currents in excess of 2 m/s and 1.5 m/s were measured on the shelf and slope, respectively. The currents directly forced by the storm were highly barotropic, even in 1000 m of water. Strong Ekman downwelling occurred in advance of the eye and upwelling followed the passing of the eye, causing temperature to range nearly 11 degrees C at the bottom on the shelf. The maximum wind stress occurred in the northeast quadrant of the storm, but contrary to general expectations, maximum currents were recorded in the northwest quadrant of the hurricane.
DE: 4219 Continental shelf processes
DE: 4512 Currents
DE: 4546 Nearshore processes
DE: 4572 Upper ocean processes
DE: 4594 Instruments and techniques
SC: Ocean Sciences [OS]
MN: 2005 Joint Assembly