VARIABILITY IN THE LOCATION OF THE ANTARCTIC POLAR FRONT (90-DEGREES-20-DEGREES-W) FROM SATELLITE SEA-SURFACE TEMPERATURE DATA

The path of the Antarctic Polar Front (PF) is mapped using satellite s ea surface temperature data from the NOAA/NASA Pathfinder program. The mean path and variability of the PF are strongly influenced by bathym etry. Meandering intensity is weaker where the bathymetry is steeply s loped and increases in areas where the bottom is relatively flat. Ther e is an inverse relationship between meandering intensity and both the width of the front and the change in temperature across it. There is a persistent, large separation between the surface and subsurface expr essions of the PF at Ewing Bank on the Falkland Plateau.