M. Ollitrault, THE GENERAL-CIRCULATION OF THE SUBTROPICA L NORTH-ATLANTIC, NEAR 700 M DEPTH, AS REVEALED BY SUBSURFACE DRIFTING FLOATS, Comptes rendus de l'Academie des sciences. Serie II. Sciences de la terre et des planetes, 321(2), 1995, pp. 153-160
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.