Slow variations in mean path of the Gulf Stream east of Cape Hatteras

Rossby, T.; Benway, Robert L.

doi:10.1029/1999gl002356

Cited by 92 publications

(83 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…1a, where the cold SST anomalies south of the Grand Banks, observed 2 years prior, have been replaced by warm SSTs in the range of 0.28-1.08C, suggesting a northward shift of the GSNW. Warm anomalies in the slope sea were attributed by Rossby and Benway (2000) to a reduction of cold water flux from the Labrador shelf, consistent with the warm temperature anomalies south of the Grand Banks in Fig. 1b.…”

Section: Sst Response To Il Variationssupporting

confidence: 63%

The Icelandic Low as a Predictor of the Gulf Stream North Wall Position

Sanchez-Franks

Hameed

Wilson

2016

Journal of Physical Oceanography

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The Gulf Stream's north wall east of Cape Hatteras marks the abrupt change in velocity and water properties between the slope sea to the north and the Gulf Stream itself. An index of the north wall position constructed by Taylor and Stephens, called Gulf Stream north wall (GSNW), is analyzed in terms of interannual changes in the Icelandic low (IL) pressure anomaly and longitudinal displacement. Sea surface temperature (SST) composites suggest that when IL pressure is anomalously low, there are lower temperatures in the Labrador Sea and south of the Grand Banks. Two years later, warm SST anomalies are seen over the Northern Recirculation Gyre and a northward shift in the GSNW occurs. Similar changes in SSTs occur during winters in which the IL is anomalously west, resulting in a northward displacement of the GSNW 3 years later. Although time lags of 2 and 3 years between the IL and the GSNW are used in the calculations, it is shown that lags with respect to each atmospheric variable are statistically significant at the 5% level over a range of years. Utilizing the appropriate time lags between the GSNW index and the IL pressure and longitude, as well as the Southern Oscillation index, a regression prediction scheme is developed for forecasting the GSNW with a lead time of 1 year. This scheme, which uses only prior information, was used to forecast the GSNW from 1994 to 2015. The correlation between the observed and forecasted values for 1994-2014 was 0.60, significant at the 1% level. The predicted value for 2015 indicates a small northward shift of the GSNW from its 2014 position.

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Section: Sst Response To Il Variationssupporting

confidence: 63%

The Icelandic Low as a Predictor of the Gulf Stream North Wall Position

Sanchez-Franks

Hameed

Wilson

2016

Journal of Physical Oceanography

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“…The positive correlation, indicating that warming (cooling) is associated with northward (southward) shifts of the Gulf Stream, is significant (at the 90% significance level) for lags ranging from -12 to +2 months. The negative sense of the lag means that SST changes precede shifts of the GS path, as was found by other authors (Rossby (1999) and Rossby and Benway (2000)). As the lag advances, the patch of high correlation gradually spreads from the eastern side of the domain towards the Gulf Stream/DWBC cross-over point.…”

Section: Stream Pc1 Lag-correlationsupporting

confidence: 60%

“…Rossby (1999) and Rossby and Benway (2000) found that fluctuations in the Gulf Stream position correlate with changes in the surface temperature and salinity changes in the Slope-Shelf region. Before the Gulf Stream shifts north, the Slope-Shelf surface temperature rises.…”

Section: Stream Pc1 Lag-correlationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Variability in the North Atlantic Deep Western Boundary Current : upstream causes and downstream effects as observed at Line W

Peña‐Molino¹

2010

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“…However, Peñ a-Molino and Joyce (2008) found that the essentially barotropic slope currents near 708W lead the GS shifts by 6 months and suggested that an increased DWBC transport indeed precedes a southward GS shift. Nonlinearity, eddy dynamics, and other factors may also influence the GS position, such as the entrainment of the upper core of the DWBC (Spall 1996) and changes in the Labrador Sea shelf transport (Rossby and Benway 2000).…”

Section: Relation Between the Gulf Stream And The Mocmentioning

confidence: 99%

Role of the Gulf Stream and Kuroshio–Oyashio Systems in Large-Scale Atmosphere–Ocean Interaction: A Review

Alexander²,

et al. 2010

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Ocean-atmosphere interaction over the Northern Hemisphere western boundary current (WBC) regions (i.e., the Gulf Stream, Kuroshio, Oyashio, and their extensions) is reviewed with an emphasis on their role in basin-scale climate variability. SST anomalies exhibit considerable variance on interannual to decadal time scales in these regions. Low-frequency SST variability is primarily driven by basin-scale wind stress curl variability via the oceanic Rossby wave adjustment of the gyre-scale circulation that modulates the latitude and strength of the WBC-related oceanic fronts. Rectification of the variability by mesoscale eddies, reemergence of the anomalies from the preceding winter, and tropical remote forcing also play important roles in driving and maintaining the low-frequency variability in these regions. In the Gulf Stream region, interaction with the deep western boundary current also likely influences the low-frequency variability. Surface heat fluxes damp the low-frequency SST anomalies over the WBC regions; thus, heat fluxes originate with heat anomalies in the ocean and have the potential to drive the overlying atmospheric circulation. While recent observational studies demonstrate a local atmospheric boundary layer response to WBC changes, the latter's influence on the large-scale atmospheric circulation is still unclear. Nevertheless, heat and moisture fluxes from the WBCs into the atmosphere influence the mean state of the atmospheric circulation, including anchoring the latitude of the storm tracks to the WBCs. Furthermore, many climate models suggest that the large-scale atmospheric response to SST anomalies driven by ocean dynamics in WBC regions can be important in generating decadal climate variability. As a step toward bridging climate model results and observations, the degree of realism of the WBC in current climate model simulations is assessed. Finally, outstanding issues concerning oceanatmosphere interaction in WBC regions and its impact on climate variability are discussed.

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Slow variations in mean path of the Gulf Stream east of Cape Hatteras

Abstract: Abstract.The continually leak from the current into the Slope Sea. These observations point to a thermohaline rather than winddriven mechanism for governing the path of the Gulf Stream after it leaves the coast.

Cited by 92 publications

References 12 publications

The Icelandic Low as a Predictor of the Gulf Stream North Wall Position

The Icelandic Low as a Predictor of the Gulf Stream North Wall Position

Variability in the North Atlantic Deep Western Boundary Current : upstream causes and downstream effects as observed at Line W

Role of the Gulf Stream and Kuroshio–Oyashio Systems in Large-Scale Atmosphere–Ocean Interaction: A Review

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