A Study in the Slope Water Region South of Halifax

Based on a reanalysis of the data from the Gulf Stream ’60 survey I propose that the Slope Water is comprised of two distinct zones. The first, warm Slope Water, is a well-mixed zone found between 0 and 400 m depth close to the Gulf Stream; the flow is primarily eastward. The second zone, Labrador Slope Water, is deeper, clings to the continental slope below 100 m and is broadest near σ t = 27.5; it is poorly mixed and flows to the west. The boundary between the two zones varies in shape and intensity in response to changes in the Gulf Stream and the Labrador Current. Observations made in the Slope Water region south of Halifax in November 1973 are discussed in terms of the two Slope Water zones. In particular, movements of the boundary between the two zones are examined.