Drawing by Ben Franklin
The Gulf Stream system
begins on the eastern side of the Gulf of Mexico, flows through the Florida
Straits, and then along the southeastern coast of the United States to Cape
Hatteras, North Carolina. From Cape Hatteras, the Stream flows eastward away
from the coast, into deeper water as it proceeds toward Europe. Although its
path is lengthy and has many segments, the Gulf Stream is considered to be a
single current system.
The Gulf Stream is
typically 80 to 150 kilometers wide and extends to a depth of about 800 to 1200
meters. The fastest current in the Gulf Stream is near the surface and the speed
decreases with depth.
Plotting the course and strength of the stream involves both
art and science. Jenifer Clark,
the recognized expert on the Stream, produces real-time Gulf Stream charts for
sailboat racing, boat deliveries, ocean cruising, and offshore fishing. I used
these charts on our trip to Bermuda and found then to be quite helpful.
The U. S. Navy produces surface temperature charts for the
southern portions of the the Gulf Stream.
These charts are based on infrared imagery,
satellite altimetry data, and surface isotherm
data. The following sites provide some of
Sea Surface Temperature
Sea Surface Height
Warm eddies are
lighter and therefore have higher sea heights (10-50 centimeters). Cold
eddies are heavier than the surrounding water and have depressed (10-55
centimeters) sea surfaces.
Gulf Stream velocity
derived from near real-time radar altimeter data of the European Remote
Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research (CCAR) Gulf Stream Near
Real-Time Altimeter Data Viewer. This site allows you to view maps of the sea
surface height or height anomaly for any region of the Gulf Stream (277°E to
320°E longitude and 30°N to 45°N latitude.