Abstract
THE first summary of geographical locations of the antarctic convergence (polar front) by Mackintosh1 showed that >50% of the instantaneous locations of the front differed from the mean location by as much as ±50 km. Early hydrographic section work could not resolve the temporal or spatial fluctuations in the horizontal structure of the front. During FDRAKE 75 Gordon2 observed comparable fluctuations in the frontal position in the Scotia Sea but again the spacing between sections was too wide. During FDRAKE 76 (refs 3, 4 and T. M. Joyce et al., unpublished) the small scale structure of the polar front was studied in the Drake Passage. Two ships, the RV Thompson (University of Washington) and the Chilean naval vessel AGS Yelcho, combined efforts in the program which took place during the onset of the austral autumn. We describe here the evolution of the polar front between February 29 and April 5, 1976, a time span of ∼5 weeks.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Mackintosh, N. A., Discovery Reports, XXIII, 177–212 (1946).
Gordon, A. L., Antarctic J. X, No. 4, 142–143 (1975).
Joyce, T. M., Antarctic J., (in the press).
Patterson, S., Sievers, H. Antarctic J., (in the press).
Deacon, G. E. R., The Sea, II, 281–296 (1963).
Gordon, A. L., Research in the Antarctic, AAAS Ann. Meeting, 135 Symp. Papers, (AAAS Publication, 93, 609–629, 1971).
Gordon, A. L., Antarctic Oceanol. I. 205–221 (Antarctic Research Series, Vol. 15, 1971).
Nowlin, W. D., Jr, Pillsbury, R. D., Gordon, L. I., Anderson, G. C., and Baker, D. J., Jr, Ant. J. (in the press).
Fuglister, F. C., and Worthington, L. V., Tellus, 3, No. 1, 1–14 (1951).
Voorhis, A. D., Deep-Sea Res., 15, 599–608 (1968).
Heezen, B. C., Tharp, M., and Bentley, C. R., American Geographical Society Folio 16 (Antarctic Map Folio Series, 1972).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
JOYCE, T., PATTERSON, S. Cyclonic ring formation at the polar front in the Drake Passage. Nature 265, 131–133 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1038/265131a0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/265131a0
This article is cited by
-
First record of anomuran and brachyuran larvae (Crustacea: Decapoda) from Antarctic waters
Polar Biology (2003)
-
Meridional heat transport across the Sub-Tropical Convergence by a warm eddy
Nature (1988)
-
Water characteristics and transport of the Antarctic circumpolar current in the Indian Ocean
Journal of Earth System Science (1988)
-
Contributions to the dynamics of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (A. C. C.) II. Integral relationship
Journal of the Oceanographical Society of Japan (1980)
-
Antarctic circumpolar current: space and time fluctuations in the Drake Passage
Nature (1977)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.
