Studies of the Lagrangian Flow at the Shelfbreak Front of the Middle Atlantic Bight Using a Dye Tracer

9416074 Houghton The objective of this study is to investigate the flow of the bottom boundary layer (BBL) in the vicinity of the shelfbreak front in the Middle Atlantic Bight using a novel technique (a dye as a Lagrangian follower) in order to resolve the small scale flow near the moving frontal boundary. One of the goals of the study is unambiguously confirm the existence of a mean Lagrangian flow offshore of the BBL and its convergence at the frontal boundary. These results will be importnat ina dvancing our understanding of the dynamics controlling exchange of shelf and slope water at the continental margin and the circulation responsible for enhanced biological productivity at the shelfbreak.