The transport of water, heat and salt through the strait of belle isle

Abstract

We present an analysis of current‐meter, sea‐level and hydrographic data collected in the Strait of Belle Isle and the northeastern Gulf of St Lawrence. From an array of moorings in the Strait from July to October 1980, we calculate a net transport into the Gulf of 0.13 × 106 m3 s−1 and show that the mean and eddy fluxes of heat through the Strait represented a net loss of heat to the northeastern Gulf. The estimated rate of loss of heat is less than the long‐term mean computed by Bugden (1981) but becomes comparable if adjusted for interannual changes of transport and water temperature. Moreover, the 1980 data permit the permanent tide‐gauge stations in the Strait at West Ste Modeste and Savage Cove to be levelled relative to one another, thus allowing surface currents to be calculated from sea‐level alone. Hence the long‐term wintertime transport into the Gulf can be calculated after fractional effects on the vertical structure of the flow are considered. During an average winter it appears that advection through the Strait can account for about 35% of the Gulf Intermediate Layer. A multiple regression involving average Intermediate Layer temperatures over 9 years suggests that winter air temperature in the Gulf, representative of atmospheric cooling, and sea‐level difference across the Strait, representative of advection, are equally important variables and together account for 50% of the Layer's temperature variability. Analysis of current‐meter, sea‐level and hydrographic data collected in 1975 supports earlier hypotheses that the strongest inflow of water with? < 0° C and salinity between 32 and 3 3 should occur in winter. It appears that during the 1975 field program the inflow was about 0.6 × 106 m3 s−1, which is about twice the long‐term average for January to May. © 1988 Taylor and Francis Group LLC.