Direct evidence of meddy formation off the southwestern coast of Portugal

Abstract

The formation of a Mediterranean Water eddy, or meddy, was observed directly for the first time off the southwestern coast of Portugal near Cape St. Vincent. The formation event is revealed in the 30-day trajectory of a RAFOS float deployed in the lower core of the Mediterranean Undercurrent in the Gulf of Cadiz. For the first several days after deployment, this float was advected westward in the Undercurrent at a speed of about 0.4 m s −1, generally paralleling the topography. Just after passing Cape St. Vincent, where the coast turns abruptly northward, the float began looping anticyclonically, indicating that it had become trapped in the core of a new meddy. The meddy translated first westward, then southwestward along the southern flank of Gorringe Bank. The float rotated around the meddy center with azimuthal speeds of 0.20–0.25 m s −1 at a radius of about 10 km. The rotation period was on the order of three days, and the average translation speed of the meddy over 25 days was 0.08 m s -1. Observations of this and four additional 30-day trajectories indicate (1) persistent westward flow of the Undercurrent along the south coast of Portugal, (2) a tendency for the lower core of the Undercurrent to separate from the continental boundary after passing Cape St. Vincent, and (3) evidence of anticyclonic looping west of Cape St. Vincent. These preliminary results confirm the speculation that the region off Cape St. Vincent is one site of meddy generation.