Articles | Volume 11, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-11-855-2015
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-11-855-2015
Research article
 | 
26 Oct 2015
Research article |  | 26 Oct 2015

On the modulation of the periodicity of the Faroe Bank Channel overflow instabilities

E. Darelius, I. Fer, T. Rasmussen, C. Guo, and K. M. H. Larsen

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Short summary
Quasi-regular eddies are known to be generated in the outflow of dense water through the Faroe Bank Channel. One year long mooring records from the plume region show that (1) the energy associated with the eddies varies by a factor of 10 throughout the year and (2) the frequency of the eddies shifts between 3 and 6 days and is related to the strength of the outflow. Similar variability is shown by a high-resolution regional model and the observations agree with theory on baroclinic instability.