Table II— DROGUE SPEEDS AND RESULTANT DIRECTIONS 



Method 1 = Resultant distance/time 



Method 2 = Fitting polynomial through X and Y components and differentiating 



periods of the components of the three drogues 

 were averaged, a value of 12.4 hours was found. 

 Since this vahie is closer to the principal lunar 

 tidal component (12.44 hours) than to the inertial 

 period (17.2 hours), it is probable that the clock- 

 wise motion observed at station 1 was tidal in 

 nature. 



The three drogues at station 2 were set in the 

 high velocity core of the Labrador Current (figs. 

 19 and 20). Their trajectories carried them 

 southward, closely following the bathymetry be- 

 tween the 200 and 2000 meter depth contours at 

 a speed of about one knot. The drogues were 

 set at 2000Z, 4 August 1971 and tracked for 

 about 11 hours before they moved out of radar 

 range of the first marker buoy. A second marker 



buoy was established at lOOOZ, .5 August approxi- 

 mately 16 miles southwest of the first marker. 

 The drogues were then followed for an addi- 

 tional 10 hours. As expected from previous geo- 

 strophic calculations in this region, the drogue 

 at 50 meters showed the highest average speed 

 for both runs at station 2 (48.2 cm/s). The 

 average current speed at the 25 meter level was 

 44.8 cm/s, while at 75 meters it averaged only 

 43.0 cm/s. Based on these results, as well as 

 values from earlier parachute drogue work 

 (Wolford, 1966), it is apparent that although 

 instantaneous velocities may vary over wide 

 limits, a current speed of approximately 1 knot 

 can be considered a reasonable value for the 

 western edge of the Labrador Current. 



11 



