Abstract:
Trajectories and time series of velocity, temperature, and pressure are presented for 13 neutrally-buoyant, acoustically tracked
(SOFAR) floats that were launched in May and June, 1986 in the Newfoundland Basin by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
SOFAR float operations group. The deployment of these floats and the array of Autonomous Listening Stations (ALS's) used to
track the floats was designed to investigate the North Atlantic Current and its possible recirculation. Although there were a number
of technical difficulties which reduced the data return for this experiment, we have obtained a total of nearly 12 years of float data
for the region at three depths, nominally 700, 1200, and 2000 m.
The data obtained from two deployments of ALS's, covering nearly three years, are presented in this report. Of particular note
is the strong eddy variability at 700 m depth that is comparable to those found in the Gulf Stream Extension and the entrainment of
2000 m depth floats into the deep western boundary current.
