Deep Labrador Current and its variability in 1996–2005

Long term mooring observations show a substantial warming of the Deep Labrador Current (DLC) during the last decade. In this paper we address the question of whether these water mass changes are accompanied by comparable changes in the deep western boundary current. Individual estimates of alongshore current from moored instruments and transports from Lowered ADCP sections indicate a systematic increase of the boundary current strength on the order of 15% of the mean from the period prior to 1999 to the period thereafter. A combination of these measurements allows the indexing of DLC intensity over the last decade.