This project involves the analysis and synthesis of several types of data from the recently completed North Brazil Current (NBC) Ring Experiment. Preliminary results from this experiment suggest that these large ocean eddies may carry a significant amount of upper ocean meridional mass transport in the tropical Atlantic Ocean. Data available for this synthesis include RAFOS float and surface drifter trajectories, hydrography from multiple cruises, data from current meter moorings and inverted echo sounders. It is expected that most attention will be given to the float and drifter data, together with the hydrography. The analysis has several aims including: describing the physical structure of NBC rings after separation; determining rates of translation, mixing and decay as rings move north-west; determining the processes responsible for deformation and destruction of NBC rings as they encounter the Antilles; and to identify the fate of the S. Atlantic water in ring cores.
