Gulf Stream Dynamics along the Southeastern U.S. Seaboard

Abstract

The Gulf Stream strongly interacts with the topography along the southeastern U.S. seaboard, between the Straits of Florida and Cape Hatteras. The dynamics of the Gulf Stream in this region is investigated with a set of realistic, very high-resolution simulations using the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS). The mean path is strongly influenced by the topography and in particular the Charleston Bump. There are significant local pressure anomalies and topographic form stresses exerted by the bump that retard the mean flow and steer the mean current pathway seaward. The topography provides, through bottom pressure torque, the positive input of barotropic vorticity necessary to balance the meridional transport of fluid and close the gyre-scale vorticity balance. The effect of the topography on the development of meanders and eddies is studied by computing energy budgets of the eddies and the mean flow. The baroclinic instability is stabilized by the slope everywhere except past the bump. The flow is barotropically unstable, and kinetic energy is converted from the mean flow to the eddies following the Straits of Florida and at the bump with regions of eddy-to-mean conversion in between. There is eddy growth by Reynolds stress and downstream development of the eddies. Interaction of the flow with the topography acts as an external forcing process to localize these oceanic storm tracks. Associated time-averaged eddy fluxes are essential to maintain and reshape the mean current. The pattern of eddy fluxes is interpreted in terms of eddy life cycle, eddy fluxes being directed downgradient in eddy growth regions and upgradient in eddy decay regions.