18 
25°S 
30° 
35° 
40°S 
ARGOS Drifter Positions 
December 1983- May 1984 
5°W o° ocE 10° 15° 20° 25° 30° S53 
Fig. 3. Trajectories of satellite tracked drifters set out in November 1983 within the Agulhas 
retroflection system. Three drifters set within Indian Ocean water moved at 0.5 to 1 Kt into 
the South Atlantic. The hydrographic data also shows a large flux of warm Indian Ocean into the 
South Atlantic. Does this situation represent the mean or only an occasional event, and does the 
Indian Ocean inflow compensate for sinking in the North Atlantic. 
In order to evaluate the impact of a change in NADW to global climate it is necessary to: 
1. Determine what percentage of heat and salt input to abyssal ocean is accomplished by the 
NADW process. 
2. What is the "thermohaline" path followed by the return flow of upper layer water to the 
North Atlantic. 
