An inverse model of the North Atlantic general circulation using Lagrangian float data

Abstract

A nonlinear finite-difference inverse model is used for estimating the North Atlantic general circulation between 20° and 50°N. The resulting circulation shows a maximum Gulf Stream transport close to 130 × 106 m3 s-1 at 64°W. Residuals of the vertically integrated heat and salt conservation constraints may be interpreted as air-sea fluxes and are of the right order of magnitude as compared to in situ measurements. -from Authors