Sixteen years of Florida current transport at 27° N

Abstract

Daily transports of the Florida Current have been inferred since 1982 through the use of submerged submarine telephone cables that measure the voltage difference across the Straits of Florida. Using all sixteen years of data, the annual cycle ranges from a minimum of 30 Sv in January, to a maximum of 33.5 Sv in July. The annual cycle is not stable throughout the entire period however: the first eight years show a slightly larger peak-to-peak annual range of 5 Sv, while the second eight years have a semi-annual cycle with a distinct minimum in July and peak-to-peak range of 4 Sv. Filtered Florida Current transports contain a two to three year variation between 2 and 3 Sv in amplitude and a decadal variation of about ± 2 Sv. The decadal changes in the Florida Current transport are significantly correlated (R=0.75 at 95% significance) to the North Atlantic Oscillation Index.