Frontal exchange processes over eastern Georges Bank and the adjacent Northeast Channel-Browns Bank region will be investigated using a combination of field work and modeling. The field work features moored array measurements, Lagrangian. drifter observations, and several physical/biological surveys, and will focus on the winter-spring period when cross-front transport of water and biota, especially Calanus finmarchicus from the Gulf of Maine across the northern flank frontal system (NF'FS) and larval cod and copepods via Scotian Shelf Water cross-overs, are thought to be most critical for the survival and recruitment of the target species on Georges Bank. The model work will be directed towards an improved description and understanding of the NFFS and other fronts over the eastern end of the Bank with a focus on the mechanisms for transport of water, nutrients and biota from the Gulf of Maine and the Scotian Shelf to the Northeast Peak and southernflank of Georges Bank. Comprehensive analysis of the observational and model results will lead to new understanding and insight into the physical processes driving frontal exchange over eastern Georges Bank and their biological consequences.
