FN Archimer Export Format PT J TI Submesoscale streamers exchange water on the north wall of the Gulf Stream BT AF KLYMAK, Jody M. SHEARMAN, R. Kipp GULA, Jonathan LEE, Craig M. D'ASARO, Eric A. THOMAS, Leif N. HARCOURT, Ramsey R. SHCHERBINA, Andrey Y. SUNDERMEYER, Miles A. MOLEMAKER, Jeroen MCWILLIAMS, James C. AS 1:1;2:2;3:3;4:4;5:4;6:5;7:4;8:4;9:6;10:7;11:7; FF 1:;2:;3:;4:;5:;6:;7:;8:;9:;10:;11:; C1 Univ Victoria, Sch Earth & Ocean Sci, Victoria, BC, Canada. Oregon State Univ, Coll Earth Ocean & Atmospher Sci, Corvallis, OR 97331 USA. Univ Bretagne Occidentale, Lab Oceanog Phys & Spatiale, Brest, France. Univ Washington, Appl Phys Lab, Seattle, WA 98195 USA. Stanford Univ, Sch Earth Sci, Stanford, CA 94305 USA. Univ Massachusetts, Sch Marine Sci & Technol, Dartmouth, MA USA. Univ Calif Los Angeles, Dept Atmospher & Ocean Sci, Los Angeles, CA USA. C2 UNIV VICTORIA, CANADA UNIV OREGON STATE, USA UBO, FRANCE UNIV WASHINGTON, USA UNIV STANFORD, USA UNIV MASSACHUSETTS, USA UNIV CALIF LOS ANGELES, USA UM LOPS IF 4.253 TC 27 UR https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00600/71201/69570.pdf LA English DT Article DE ;ocean mixing;Gulf Stream;submesoscale mixing;eddies AB The Gulf Stream is a major conduit of warm surface water from the tropics to the subpolar North Atlantic. Here we observe and simulate a submesoscale (<20km) mechanism by which the Gulf Stream exchanges water with subpolar water to the north. Along isopycnals, the front has a sharp compensated temperature-salinity contrast, with distinct mixed water between the two water masses 2 and 4km wide. This mixed water does not increase downstream despite substantial energy available for mixing. A series of streamers detrain this water at the crest of meanders. Subpolar water replaces the mixed water and resharpens the front. The water mass exchange accounts for a northward flux of salt of 0.5-2.5 psum(2)s(-1), (large-scale diffusivity O (100m(2)s(-1))). This is similar to bulk-scale flux estimates of 1.2psum(2)s(-1) and supplies fresher water to the Gulf Stream required for the production of 18 degrees subtropical mode water. PY 2016 PD FEB SO Geophysical Research Letters SN 0094-8276 PU Amer Geophysical Union VL 43 IS 3 UT 000372056600035 BP 1226 EP 1233 DI 10.1002/2015GL067152 ID 71201 ER EF