Variations of the Gulf Stream's north wall east of Cape Hatteras

Abstract

Twelve years (1977–1988) of NOAA infrared imagery data were used to study the variations of the north wall displacements of the Gulf Stream east of Cape Hatteras (i.e., between 74 W and 65 W). The variations of the north wall displacements were compared with the variations in the Straits of Florida transport, which was estimated using a multifrequency model based on the sea-level differences between Siboney, Cuba and Key West, Florida for the period 1977–1988, and with transport measurements based on the submarine cable between Jupiter, Florida, and Settlement Point in the Bahamas for the period 1982–1988. The north wall reached a maximum northward position in 1985 when the cable data indicated that the Straits of Florida transport was a maximum. The north wall reached a maximum southward position in 1981. Cable data were not available before 1982, but the available data suggested that there may have been a minimum transport in 1981. A weak annual cycle of the north wall was found with a maximum northward position in the fall and a maximum southward position in the spring. No relationship was found between the annual cycle of the Gulf Stream's north wall and the annual cycle of the Straits of Florida transport.