MEASURING SURFACE CURRENTS IN DRAKE PASSAGE FROM ALTIMETRY AND HYDROGRAPHY

This paper describes a new method for combining altimetry data with hy drography in order to produce absolute surface geostrophic currents fr om altimetry. This method is then applied to data from the Drake Passa ge allowing surface currents to be monitored every 35 days during the second half of 1992. The resulting currents show several regions of st rong currents with water flowing to the east and other places where th e currents are either zero or flowing to the west. After comparison wi th a model it is suggested that this structure Is a result of the bath ymetry.