MARVOR FLOAT PRESENT RESULTS FROM THE SAMBA EXPERIMENT

MARVOS is a multicycle subsurface RAFOS type float developed by IFREME R, in partnership with Tekelec. The first 20 serial MARVOR floats were launched in February 1994, in the Brazil basin for 30 2-month cycles at 800 m depth, within the framework of the SAMBA experiment. This exp eriment will use a total of 100 MARVOR floats over a 5-year period wit h the objective to obtain a description and possibly an understanding of Antarctic Intermediate Water general circulation in the Brazil basi n. For their first 60-day cycle at 800 m the 20 MARVOR floats presentl y at sea have worked well. They show a general westward motion south o f 21-degrees-S, weaker mean motions but stronger turbulence north of 2 1-degrees-S and evidence of a strong western boundary current along th e coast north of Salvador da Bahia.