Subtropical Gyres

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Subtropical Gyres
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Western Boundary Currents
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North Atlantic Gyre
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GS 2
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GS 3
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Charleston Bump
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Western Intensification

• To conserve vorticity, a large input of positive
  relative vorticity is needed in the western basin
• This is achieved by a fast, highly sheared
  western boundary current
• Need dv
• dx

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Gulf Stream Velocities
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GS Velocity
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GS Velocity
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dv 220 0 cm/s dx 50-10 km
dv 0 -220 cm/s dx 105-50 km
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dv 220 - 0 cm/s dx 50-10 km 5.5 x 10-5
s-1
dv 0 -220 cm/s dx 105-50 km - 4 x 10-5 s-1
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dv 220 - 0 cm/s dx 50-10 km 5.5 x 10-5
s-1
dv 0 -220 cm/s dx 105-50 km - 4 x 10-5 s-1
More relative vorticity on this side
Than - relative vorticity on this side
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Stommels Model
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Sea SurfaceHeight
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Stommels Model
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North Atlantic Circulation
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North Atlantic