Seasonal current variability on the New Jersey inner shelf

Abstract

The well-sampled ocean off the coast of New Jersey provides a data-rich environment in which to study ocean current variability over the inner shelf. Using a year-long HF radar data set, complemented with in situ and meteorological observations, the annual- and seasonal-scale variabilities are examined. The hydrographic variability of the inner shelf off New Jersey is largely bimodal between summer stratification and winter mixing. An annual oceanographic and atmospheric data set was separated into these two regimes. The influence of stratification is evident through a relatively steady current response strongly correlated with the wind during the stratified season and a more variable response less correlated with the wind during the mixed season. When the water column is mixed, the influence of the local topography on the surface current variability is dependent on the slope, with a tendency for the variability to be more aligned with steeper topography. Copyright 2004 by the American Geophysical Union.