THE GENERAL-CIRCULATION OF THE SUBTROPICA L NORTH-ATLANTIC, NEAR 700 M DEPTH, AS REVEALED BY SUBSURFACE DRIFTING FLOATS

Twenty-six subsurface floats drifting at 700 +/- 100 dbar, acousticall y tracked between July 1983 and June 1989, reveal a very turbulent cir culation of the North Atlantic Ocean between 30 degrees N and 45 degre es N. The eulerian mean circulation, however, shows continuity between the Gulf Stream and the North Atlantic current, intense recirculation s south of the Stream and the Azores current to the east of the Mid-At lantic ridge. The ridge axis separates higher eddy kinetic energy valu es of the western basin from the smaller ones of the eastern basin. Co mmunication over the ridge is rare, but does exist.