An oceanic frontal jet near the Norfolk Ridge northwest of New Zealand

Abstract

A meandering zonal jet was found in the winter circulation through the region between New Zealand and Norfolk Island. This current is marked at the surface by a temperature and salinity front, the Mid Tasman Convergence. It is suggested that the zonal jet connects the East Australian Current System with the weaker western boundary currents found off the New Zealand coast. The effects of bottom topography on the flow appear to be small except near the shallowest part of the Norfolk Ridge. Observed movements in the front were consistent with the westward propagation predicted by planetary wave theory.