being carried out by the Coast Guard Oceano- 

 graphic Unit. This work is experimental at this 

 Time but looks promising. The vorticity model 

 uses Gulf Stream velocities and the Grand Banks 

 bathymetry as input. The physics of the model 

 is based on the conservation of potential vorticity. 

 Simply put, the Gulf Stream will follow the 

 bathynietric contours to a greater or lesser degree 

 depending on its velocity and velocity shear, and 



hence its vorticity. Thus, it is possible that the 

 Gulf Stream's location throughout the Grand 

 Banks region can be determined from points 

 along the eastern boundary of the Ice Patrol 

 region. What this information might provide is 

 a predictive updating of the Gulf Stream's enter- 

 ing location into the Labrador Current Model 

 area. Consequently, a data updating flight to 

 the southern boundary might be eliminated. 



B-6 



