Review of the Oceanographic Environment of the Tongue of the Ocean, Bahamas Part 2: Survey and Analysis of Ocean Current Data

Abstract

This report presents a survey of all the water currer: data obtained in the Tongue of the Ocean (TOTO) since August 1958. The methods used to measure the water currents are described and the data are analyzed separately for each method used. The quality of the data is evaluated from the viewpoint of temporal and spatial distribution with depth, the method of measurement, and the navigation system in use. Using the data collectively, the average water currents (surface, subsurface, and bottom), vertical shear, turbulence, and general circulation patterns in TOTO are discussed, The distribution of the existing data was sporadic in both time and space, indicating that a more systematic and synoptic coverage of the water currents in TOTO is needed before the effects of the ocean medium on tests and evaluations conducted with underwater tracking systems can be determined. An intensive, well-planned program to measure the water currents in TOTO is recommended and the initial phase of such a program is outlined.