Two-hundred and twenty seven satellite-tracked drifters were deployed in the Gulf of Maine (GoM) from 1988 to 2007, primarily during spring and summer. The archive of tracks includes over 100,000 kilometers logged thus far. Statistics such as transit times, mean velocities, response to wind events, and preferred pathways are compiled for various areas of the coastal GoM. We compare Lagrangian flow with Eulerian estimates from near-by moorings and evaluate drifter trajectories using Ekman theory and 3-D ocean circulation models. Results indicate that the Gulf of Maine Coastal Current is a strong and persistent feature centered on the 94 ± 23 meter isobath, but that particles: a) deviate from the seasonal-mean core fairly regularly, and are often re-entrained; b) follow a slower (9 cm/s), less-constrained path in the western portion off the coast of Maine relative to the eastern (16 cm/s) section; and c) can be affected by wind events and small scale baroclinic structures. Residence times calculated for each ½ degree grid cell throughout the GoM depict some regions (Eastern Maine and Western Nova Scotia) as being relatively steady, flow-through systems, while others (Penobscot, Great South Channel) have more variable, branching pathways. Travel times for drifters that are retained within the coastal current along the entire western side of the Gulf of Maine are typically less than two months (55 days).

中文翻译：

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缅因湾沿岸流的漂移观测

从 1988 年到 2007 年，主要在春季和夏季，在缅因湾 (GoM) 部署了 227 个卫星跟踪漂流器。轨道档案包括迄今为止记录的超过 100,000 公里。统计数据，如运输时间、平均速度、对风事件的响应和首选路径等，都是针对 GoM 沿海的各个区域进行编译的。我们将拉格朗日流与附近系泊设备的欧拉估计值进行比较，并使用 Ekman 理论和 3-D 海洋环流模型评估漂流器轨迹。结果表明，缅因湾沿岸流是一个以 94 ± 23 米等深线为中心的强大而持久的特征，但粒子： a) 相当规律地偏离季节性平均核心，并且经常被重新夹带；b) 跟随较慢的 (9 cm/s)，相对于东部 (16 cm/s) 部分，缅因州海岸西部的路径约束较少；c) 可能受风事件和小规模斜压结构的影响。为整个 GoM 中每个 ½ 度网格单元计算的停留时间将一些地区（缅因州东部和新斯科舍省西部）描述为相对稳定的流经系统，而其他地区（佩诺布斯科特、大南海峡）则具有更多可变的分支路径。沿缅因湾整个西侧滞留在沿海流中的漂流者的旅行时间通常不到两个月（55 天）。为整个 GoM 中每个 ½ 度网格单元计算的停留时间将一些地区（缅因州东部和新斯科舍省西部）描述为相对稳定的流经系统，而其他地区（佩诺布斯科特、大南海峡）则具有更多可变的分支路径。沿缅因湾整个西侧滞留在沿海流中的漂流者的旅行时间通常不到两个月（55 天）。为整个 GoM 中每个 ½ 度网格单元计算的停留时间将一些地区（缅因州东部和新斯科舍省西部）描述为相对稳定的流经系统，而其他地区（佩诺布斯科特、大南海峡）则具有更多可变的分支路径。沿缅因湾整个西侧滞留在沿海流中的漂流者的旅行时间通常不到两个月（55 天）。