Abstract
We describe here a large intense mesoscale feature in the North Atlantic (48° N, 22° W) observed in April 1985. From the thermal structure of this feature at a depth of 475 m (Fig. 1a) and from the pattern of larger scale flow (dominated by a nearly rectilinear thermal front (NE–SW), Fig. 1b) we conclude that the feature is the eastern basin counterpart of the Gulf Stream cold-core eddies often observed in the western basin1,2. To our knowledge, this is the most intense coherent cold-core eddy so far surveyed in this region, and the only such eddy for which data bearing on the mechanism of formation are available.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Richardson, P. L. J. phys. Oceanogr. 10, 90–104 (1980).
Joyce, T. & Weiler, P. Oceans 26, 2, 34–44 (1983).
Richardson, P. L. in Eddies in Marine Science (ed. Robinson, A. R.), 17–45 (Springer, New York, 1983).
Becker, G. A., Bork, I. & Schauer, U. Deutsches Hydrographisches Zeitung 37 (Deutsches Hyrographisches Institut, Hamburg, 1984).
Groupe Tourbillon Deep-Sea Res. 30, 475–511 (1983).
Dietrich, G. Atlas of the Hydrography of the Northern North Atlantic Ocean (Conseil Hydrographique Charlottenlund Slot, Copenhagen, 1969).
Dickson, R. R., in Eddies in Marine Science (ed. Robinson, A. R.), 278–328 (Springer, New York, 1983).
Sverdrup, H. U., Johnson, M. W. & Fleming, R. H. The Oceans (Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, 1942).
Dickson, R. & Gurbutt, P. Polymode News 74, 1–9 (Woods Hole Oceanographie Institution, 1980).
Wegener, G. Polymode News 70, 3–11 (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 1979).
Howe, M. R. & Tait, R. I. Deep-Sea Res. 14, 373–378 (1967).
Krauss, W. & Käse, R. H. J. geophys. Res. 89, 3407–3415 (1984).
Robinson, A. R. (ed.) Eddies in Manne Science (Springer, New York, 1983).
Emery, W. J. & Dewar, J. S. Prog. Oceanogr. 11, 219–305 (1982).
Wright, W. R. & Worthington, L. V. Am. Geogr. Soc. Folio 19 (1970).
Robinson, A. R. et al. Nature 309, 781–783 (1984).
Wiebe, P. H. et al. Deep-Sea Res. 23, 695–710 (1976).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kupferman, S., Becker, G., Simmons, W. et al. An intense cold core eddy in the North-East Atlantic. Nature 319, 474–477 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1038/319474a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/319474a0
- Springer Nature Limited
This article is cited by
-
Detection of photoactive siderophore biosynthetic genes in the marine environment
BioMetals (2013)
-
Two counterrotating eddies in the Eastern North Atlantic: Lagrangian observations
Deutsche Hydrographische Zeitschrift (1990)
-
Benthic storms, vortices, and particle dispersion in the deep West European basin
Deutsche Hydrographische Zeitschrift (1987)
-
Observations of persistent pattern in the temperature field related to the North Atlantic Current
Deutsche Hydrographische Zeitschrift (1987)