The Effect of Meanders on the Kinetic Energy Balance of the Gulf Stream

Abstract

Calculations have been made, using surface velocity observations, of the horizontal transfer of kinetic energy from meanders to mean flow at two separate localities in the Gulf Stream System. In both cases, it was found that there was a surface flow of kinetic energy from the meanders to the mean flow, exactly opposite to what would be expected if the meanders were frictionally driven. The observations suggest that the meanders derive energy from sources other than the kinetic energy of the mean flow. The role of the meanders in relation to the mean Gulf Stream appears analogous to that of large-scale eddies in relation to the general circulation of the atmosphere.