Variability of Structure and Transport of the Florida Current in the Period Range of Days to Seasonal

Abstract Current measurements with five repeated moored arrays were carried out from April 1982 to June 1984 across the Florida Current between West Palm Beach and Grand Bahama Island; a reduced sixth array was continued until June 1985. Transport were calculated directly by vertical integration of the 40-hour low-passed northward current components and extrapolation to the surface using the mean vertical shears ova the extent of the mooring. These transports compared well with 96 transport sections measured by PEGASUS and with transports determined by cable voltage measurements. During 1982–84 the transport variations ranged between 20 and 40 Sv (Sv = 106 m3 s−1) with a mean of 30.5 Sv and standard deviations of the 40-hour low-passed data of ±3 Sv. However, monthly mean deviations from the mean annual cycle were only of order ± 1 Sv, indicating that the climate relevant long-period variations of this current are fairly small. The volume transport shows a continuous spectrum with no particularly energeti...