Gulf Stream structure, transport, and recirculation near 68°W

An analysis of the structure and transport of the Gulf Stream is undertaken using direct current meter observations from a 13-mooring array deployed near 68°W from June 1988 to August 1990. On the basis of these results and other recent studies the downstream transport increase of the Gulf Stream and the inflow structure to the Gulf Stream are reconsidered. It is concluded that approximately 30 Sv, or over half of the transport increase between Cape Hatteras and 68°W, is fed by inflow from the northern side of the Gulf Stream and that this inflow is concentrated near Cape Hatteras and 68°W, where the Gulf Stream flows steeply across isobaths converging from the north. -from Authors