Sack Lunch Seminar (SLS)

The Deep Western Boundary Current (DWBC) is the lower limb of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation returning cold dense waters formed in the Nordic Seas to lower latitudes. Upon overflowing Denmark Strait, Denmark Strait Overflow Water (DSOW) descends and spins up strong DSOW cyclones. We use full-water column mooring observations from September 2007 to October 2008 to present the structure of DSOW cyclones. On average, every other day a DSOW cyclone is formed and propagates along the continental slope of East Greenland at 0.7 m/s with peak azimuthal velocities of 0.23 m/s (Rossby numbers near unity). Statistics relating to the contribution of DSOW cyclones to the total flow of the DWBC are given. The structure and transport of the quiet background DWBC in the absence of DSOW cyclones is discussed for comparison.