Abstract
The Cuban Countercurrent (CCC), along with the Yucatan Current, forms part of the Yucatan Basin circulation system, but it has not been well described and its connection to the system of currents in the Caribbean Sea has not been studied. Based on altimetry data (1993–2009) and the MERCATOR three-dimensional assimilation model (2007–2009), the CCC was observed flowing ~1000 km from the eastern Yucatan Channel to Jamaica and to have a width of ~150 km. Off southern Cuba, the mean velocity was 0.20 m s–1 at the surface and 0.05 m s–1 at 1000 m depth. The CCC transported ~3.5 Sv when it passed through the Yucatan Channel towards the Caribbean Sea, where ~1.6 Sv was recorded south of Cuba. During its annual cycle, the CCC weakened from December to February (0–250 m) and in the summer its magnitude intensified slightly, reaching 0.35 m s–1 in August, due to the increase in water temperature of the Atlantic warm pool. Consequently, the sea level rose in the center of the Yucatan Basin and the pressure gradient increased along the Cuban coast, producing an increase in zonal velocity (0.1 m s–1) and transport (2–3 Sv; r = 0.90). Its connection to the Caribbean current system demonstrated the importance of its study.
Highlights
The existence of the Cuban Countercurrent (CCC) was first reported by Emilsson (1971) based on hydrographic observations and by Sukhovey et al (1980) based on current meter data from the Yucatan Channel
This paper reports new information on the current regime in the Yucatan Basin, and addresses several questions regarding the horizontal and vertical extension and the southward transport of the contracorriente Cubana (CCC) across the Yucatan Channel and along the southwestern coast of Cuba
The eastern portion of the Yucatan Current that did not pass through the Yucatan Channel flowed in a clockwise direction and formed another anticylonic eddy (A1), while another portion of this flow veered towards the southeast-east and was incorporated into the CCC
Summary
The existence of the Cuban Countercurrent (CCC) was first reported by Emilsson (1971) based on hydrographic observations and by Sukhovey et al (1980) based on current meter data from the Yucatan Channel. Abascal et al (2003), using in situ current data from the Yucatan Channel, corroborated the southward surface flow on the eastern side of the channel (mean velocity of 0.2 m s–1). They reported two subsurface flows in the same direction, the first on the eastern side, extending from 600 m depth to the bottom (~1700 m), and the second on the western side, from 800 m depth to the bottom (2000 m)
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