Eddies and a mesoscale deflection of the slope current in the Faroe–Shetland Channel

The mesoscale dynamics of the Scottish side of the Faroe–Shetland Channel have been investigated using synoptic in situ and remote sensing observations. A cold core cyclonic eddy, identified from an AVHRR image, had a diameter of about 50 km and surface current speeds of up to 50 cm s-1; it appeared to be attached to the 800 m isobath as it moved north-eastward along the edge of the channel at about 8 cm s-1. Speeds in the slope current were about 50 cm s-1 but increased to 70 cm s-1 where the current was compressed by the eddy. Offshore, over the 1000 m isobath in the cooler water, speeds in the current were slower (ca. 20 cm s-1). North-west of the Shetlands the offshore edge of the slope current was deflected across the channel for a distance of about 70 km from the shelf edge. The speed of drifters in the slope current increased to over 60 cm s-1 as they moved anti-cyclonically around this deflection. CTD profiles suggest that the movement of the surface waters was mirrored in the deep water of the channel. The deflection carried a very large quantity of North Atlantic Water into the central part of the channel; its cause and ultimate fate are not known, although it is likely to have had a significant impact on the dynamics of the channel.