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Transport of the Norwegian Atlantic current as determined from satellite altimetryRelatively warm and salty North Atlantic surface waters flow through the Faeroe-Shetland Channel into the higher latitudes of the Nordic Seas, preserving an ice-free winter environment for much of the exterior coast of northern Europe. This flow was monitored along the Norwegian coast using Geosat altimetry on two ascending arcs during the Exact Repeat Mission in 1987-1989. Concurrent undertrack CTD surveys were used to fix a reference surface for the altimeter-derived SSH anomalies, in effect creating time series of alongtrack surface dynamic height topographies. Climatologic CTD casts were then used, with empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis, to derive relationships between historical surface dynamic heights and vertical temperature and salinity profiles. Applying these EOF relationships to the altimeter signals, mean transports of volume, heat, and salt were calculated at approximately 2.9 Sverdrups, 8.1 x 10 exp 11 KCal/s and 1.0 x 10 exp 8 Kg/s, respectively. Maximum transports occurred in February/March and minimum in July/August.
Document ID
19920063572
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Pistek, Pavel
Johnson, Donald R.
(U.S. Navy, Stennis Space Center Bay Saint Louis, MS, United States)
Date Acquired
August 15, 2013
Publication Date
July 6, 1992
Publication Information
Publication: Geophysical Research Letters
Volume: 19
Issue: 13, J
ISSN: 0094-8276
Subject Category
Oceanography
Accession Number
92A46196
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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