■2- 



considered in these studies appear to speed up the Gulf Stream and 

 do not feed upon^ but actually build up the thermal contrast near the 

 surface, these eddies must be forced. 



More measurements of the kind described in this paper, are 

 needed to verify the observed abnormal heat and density fluxes in the 

 Gulf Stream, 



Introduction 



The remarkably intense system of currents observed 

 on the western side of the North Atlantic Ocean forms a challeng- 

 ing problem for the dynamic oceanographer. The Gulf Stream 

 System, as this set of currents is called, can be regarded as a 

 boundary phenomenon associated with the sudden downward slope 

 of the isotherms from the shore of the American continent towards 

 the center of the ocean. The difference in density across the 

 stream is probably not the driving force of the current but it 

 forms one aspect of the equilibrium situation brought about by 

 the effects of solar radiation, windstress, evaporation and rain- 

 fall at the surface of the ocean. It is often assumed that the 

 typical meandering of the Gulf Stream dissipates part of the energy 

 of the main flow. However, Webster (1961b) has shown 

 that there is a surface flow of kinetic energy 



