Continental slope sea level and flow variability induced by lateral movements of the Gulf Stream in the Middle Atlantic Bight

2006 ◽  
Vol 70 (2-4) ◽  
pp. 196-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Böhm ◽  
T.S. Hopkins ◽  
L.J. Pietrafesa ◽  
J.H. Churchill
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Continental Slope ◽  
Gulf Stream ◽  
Middle Atlantic Bight ◽  
Flow Variability ◽  
Middle Atlantic

scholarly journals The Origin of Along-Shelf Pressure Gradient in the Middle Atlantic Bight

2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (9) ◽  
pp. 1720-1740 ◽  
Author(s):  
F.-H. Xu ◽  
L.-Y. Oey
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Gradient ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Gulf Stream ◽  
Process Model ◽  
Sea Water ◽  
Tide Gauge ◽  
Middle Atlantic Bight ◽  
Middle Atlantic ◽  
Sea Surface Slopes ◽  
Cape Hatteras

Abstract It is quite widely accepted that the along-shelf pressure gradient (ASPG) contributes in driving shelf currents in the Middle Atlantic Bight (MAB) off the northeastern U.S. coast; its origin, however, remains a subject for debate. Based on analyses of 16 yr (1993–2008) of satellite, tide gauge, river, and wind data and numerical experiments, the authors suggest that river and Coastal Labrador Sea Water (CLSW) transport contribute to a positive mean ASPG (tilt up northward) in the ratio of approximately 1:7 (i.e., CLSW dominates), whereas wind and the Gulf Stream tend to produce a negative mean ASPG in the ratio of approximately 1:6. Data also indicate seasonal and interannual variations of ASPG that correlate with the Gulf Stream’s shift and eddy kinetic energy north of the Gulf Stream (N-EKE) due to warm-core rings. A southward shift in the Gulf Stream produces a sea level drop north of Cape Hatteras, which is most rapid in winter. The N-EKE peaks in late spring to early summer and is larger in some years than others. A process model is used to show that ring propagation along the MAB slope and ring impingement upon the shelf break north of Cape Hatteras generate along-isobath density gradients and cross-shelfbreak transports that produce sea level change on the shelf; the dominant ageostrophic term in the depth-integrated vorticity balance is the joint effect of baroclinicity and relief (JEBAR) term. In particular, the shelf’s sea surface slopes down to the north when rings approach Cape Hatteras.

Mixing of shelf, slope and Gulf Stream water over the continental slope of the Middle Atlantic Bight

1993 ◽  
Vol 40 (5) ◽  
pp. 1063-1085 ◽  
Author(s):  
James H. Churchill ◽  
Edward R. Levine ◽  
Donald N. Connors ◽  
Peter C. Cornillon
Keyword(s):  
Continental Slope ◽  
Gulf Stream ◽  
Stream Water ◽  
Middle Atlantic Bight ◽  
Middle Atlantic ◽  
Shelf Slope

A Gulf Stream-derived pycnocline intrusion on the Middle Atlantic Bight shelf

1990 ◽  
Vol 95 (C12) ◽  
pp. 22305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glen Gawarkiewicz ◽  
Robert K. McCarthy ◽  
Kenneth Barton ◽  
Ann K. Masse ◽  
Thomas M. Church
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Stream ◽  
Middle Atlantic Bight ◽  
Middle Atlantic

Comparative biology of four species of glyphocrangonid and crangonid shrimp from the continental slope of the middle Atlantic Bight

1978 ◽  
Vol 56 (5) ◽  
pp. 1052-1065 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Lewis Wenner
Keyword(s):  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Continental Slope ◽  
Gonad Development ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Otter Trawl ◽  
Comparative Biology ◽  
Benthic Organisms ◽  
Middle Atlantic Bight ◽  
Middle Atlantic ◽  
Ovarian Growth

Distribution, reproduction, food, and parasites of glyphocrangonid (Glyphocrangon sculpta and Glyphocrangon longirostris) and crangonid (Sabinea hystrix and Metacrangon jacqueti agassizi) shrimp were studied from otter trawl collections on the continental slope of the middle Atlantic Bight. Glyphocrangon sculpta and G. longirostris were found at depths of 2068–2679 m and 1111–2427 m respectively; S. hystrix was found from 452 to 2100 m and M. j. agassizi occurred from 616 to 1430 m. Among all four species, ovigerous females were significantly larger and more numerous than males. Sex ratio patterns expressed as percent male for depth and size are discussed for these species. Reproduction of all species was asynchronous and year-round; ovigerous females were captured during every month. Ovarian growth was continuous, enabling multiple spawnings of small numbers of large eggs. Stomach contents consisted almost entirely of benthic organisms and sediment, but the majority of stomachs were empty. Epibranchial bopyrid isopods were found on G. sculpta, G. longirostris, and M. j. agassizi. Parasite incidence among the species was low but, when present, retarded gonad development in female hosts.

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