Cable-based transport observations in the Southeastern Caribbean

Summary form only given. Flow through the island passages that separate the southern Caribbean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean feeds the Florida Current and Gulf Stream, forming an important link in both the wind-driven and thermohaline circulations of the North Atlantic. A recorded history of the variability of this flow will contribute to our understanding of ocean circulation and its role in the Earth´s climate. With the generous permission of the owners of the Eastern Caribbean Fibre System, a commercial telecommunication system linking the southern islands of the Antilles chain, cable-voltage observations have been initiated across the southernmost island passage between the Atlantic and the Eastern Caribbean, the Grenada Passage between the islands of Grenada and Trinidad. The work is being done by a group of scientists at the Universities of Washington and Miami, and at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The installation will be discussed and initial data presented.