VARIATIONS OF THE GULF STREAMS NORTH WALL EAST OF CAPE-HATTERAS

Twelve years (1977-1988) of NOAA infrared imagery data were used to st udy the variations of the north wall displacements of the Gulf Stream east of Cape Hatteras (i.e., between 74 W and 65 W). The variations of the north wall displacements were compared with the variations in the Straits of Florida transport, which was estimated using a multifreque ncy model based on the sea-level differences between Siboney, Cuba and Key West, Florida for the period 1977-1988, and with transport measur ements based on the submarine cable between Jupiter, Florida, and Sett lement Point in the Bahamas for the period 1982-1988. The north wall r eached a maximum northward position in 1985 when the cable data indica ted that the Straits of Florida transport was a maximum. The north wal l reached a maximum southward position in 1981. Cable data were not av ailable before 1982, but the available data suggested that there may h ave been a minimum transport in 1981. A weak annual cycle of the north wall was found with a maximum northward position in the fall and a ma ximum southward position in the spring. No relationship was found betw een the annual cycle of the Gulf Stream's north wall and the annual cy cle of the Straits of Florida transport.