The Fluctuations of the Florida Current

Correlations between the annual variations of the drift current of the Straits of Florida, of sea-level, and of the wind stress data are established. The annual march of the sea-level difference between Cat Cay and Miami Beach is computed. It is shown to have a close relation to the annual march of the average charted drift current in the Straits of Florida. The relatively few observations used for these computations are nevertheless shown to be representative. In order to extend the use of the sea-level data, the connection between the S-N component of the mean wind stress in the area of the Florida Straits and the mean sea-level of the same section is studied and a relatively close connection is found. Thus it is shown that, after a proper correction due to the variations of the local wind stress, the sea-level observations at Miami Beach may be used as an index of the year by year fluctuations in the Florida Current.