Flushing of the continental shelf south of Cape Hatteras by the Gulf Stream

Onslow Bay, an embayment south of Cape Hatteras in the South Atlantic Bight, responds to discrete southwestward and northeastward wind stress events. Occasionally, dramatic onshore‐offshore flow cycles occur that appear triggered by a large‐scale disturbance probably originating in the Gulf Stream. Winds and offshore disturbances drive a well‐defined circulation pattern from which it is estimated that Onslow Bay is flushed every 2 months. This agrees quite well with a freshwater removal rate of about 2.7 months and a Gulf Stream entrainment removal rate of 3 months.