Some current measurements in the Sargasso Sea

Abstract

Long-term current measurements at depths of 50 and 100m obtained with Richardson current meters at two deep-water moorings south of Bermuda are reported. The records are dominated by anticyclonic rotations which appear and degenerate, possibly in response to the passage of storms. Spectral analysis of the records indicates that this motion has a period of 24 hours at a depth of 50 m, and 25·3 hours at a depth of 100m. No explanation is given to account for this difference in period over a 50-m separation. Both records indicate the existence of semidiurnal tidal motion. The long-term motions at both depths indicate a systematic change in the net direction of flow over a three-month period.