Slope water intrusions onto Georges Bank

Abstract

Data from moored instruments and hydrographic cruises of the U.S. GLOBEC NW Atlantic/Georges Bank program reveal a series of intrusions of high-salinity water extending onto the southern flank of Georges Bank during the spring and summer of 1995. On the basis of the layer of maximum salinity, these intrusions may be divided into three different types: near surface, near bottom, and pycnocline. The water mass and flow structure of all intrusions are highly variable, owing partly to wind-driven motions and partly to meanders and eddies formed along the front of the intruding water. The mooring data of May clearly show the passage of two cyclonic features, each with a core of intruding water. While the intrusions are shown to dominate the flux of high-salinity water onto the southern flank, the data examined offer no evidence that intrusions enhance nutrient concentrations over the southern flank.