Some Aspects of Gulf Stream Western Boundary Eddies from Satellite and In Situ Data

Abstract

NOAA-5 infrared images were used to determine statistics of existing and developing perturbations on the western boundary of the Gulf Stream. The satellite data were combined with oceanographic data to study both a new-born eddy and one that had been in existence for a considerable time. On the average, the perturbations are much more intense, have larger dimensions, and move more slowly when located immediately downstream of the Charleston Bump, a region where the flow is influenced by the Blake Plateau, than when located farther downstream in a region where the slope is steeper.