Slope Water Intrusion to the Great South Channel During Autumn, 1977-85

David G. Mountain, Marianna Pastuszak and Donna A. Busch

National Marine Fisheries Service, Northeast Fisheries Center
Woods Hole Laboratory, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, USA

Source - Journal of Northwest Atlantic Fishery Science, Volume 9(2): 97-102
ISSN-0250-6408

 

Mountain, D.G. Pastuszak, M., and Busch, D.A. 1989. Slope Water Intrusion to the Great South Channel During Autumn, 1977-85. J. Northw. Atl. Fish. Sci. 9(2): 97-102. https://doi.org/10.2960/J.v9.a8

 

Abstract

Measurements of water properties in the Great South Channel (GSC) made on 35 surveys between 1977 and 1985 indicate an intrusion of high salinity water in the autumn of most years. The intrusion represents an influx of slope water. It is most evident near bottom, but high salinity values are found throughout the water column. In some years the intrusion can be traced through the channel to the north side of Georges Bank. Larvae of offshore, warm-water fish species found in the high salinity intrusion support reports that the presence of these larvae is associated with an influx of slope water through the channel. The influx is likely to be associated with the seasonal shelfward movement of the shelf/slope front during the autumn. While the extent of the influx may be modified by Gulf Stream rings located south of the channel region, the phenomenon does not appear to be caused by rings. The influx of slope water across the shelf and to GSC suggests a seasonal reduction in the transport of Georges Bank water westward past Nantucket Shoals.

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Language - English
Publisher - Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO), Dartmouth, N.S., Canada
Publication Date - December 1989
Publication Type - Journal Article

Citation: Mountain, D.G. Pastuszak, M., and Busch, D.A. 1989. Slope Water Intrusion to the Great South Channel During Autumn, 1977-85. J. Northw. Atl. Fish. Sci. 9(2): 97-102. https://doi.org/10.2960/J.v9.a8