Nine-month records from nine inverted echo sounders (IESs) are analyze
d to describe the mean baroclinic Gulf Stream at 55 degrees W. IES aco
ustic travel times are converted to thermocline depth which is optimal
ly interpolated. Kinematic and dynamic parameters (Gulf Stream meridio
nal position, velocity, and vorticity) are calculated. Primary Gulf St
ream variability is attributed to meandering and changes in direction.
A mean, stream-coordinate (relative to Gulf Stream instantaneous posi
tion and direction) meridional profile is derived and compared with re
sults presented by other investigators. The mean velocity is estimated
at 0.84 m s(-1) directed 14 degrees to the right of eastward, and the
thermocline (12 degrees C) drops 657 m (north to south), correspondin
g to a baroclinic rise of the surface of 0.87 m. The effect of Gulf St
ream curvature on temporal mean profiles is found to be unimportant an
d of minimal importance overall. The derived, downstream current profi
le is well represented by a Gaussian function and is about 190 km wide
where it crosses zero. Surface baroclinic transport is estimated to b
e 8.5 x 10(4) m(2) s(-1), and maximum shear (flanking the maximum) is
1.2 x 10(-5) s(-1). Results compare well with other in situ observatio
nal results from the same time period. On the other hand, analyses (by
others) of concurrent satellite altimetry (Geosat) suggest a consider
ably narrower, more intense mean Gulf Stream.