Coastal ocean mixing and advection during Hurricane Sandy and Arthur

The Mid Atlantic Bight continental shelf has one of the largest summer temperature gradients in the world, with near bottom temperatures below 8C and peak surface temperatures over 28C. This is largely due to the summer Cold Pool, remnant winter water that is generated on the northern MAB and transported southward along the continental shelf in spring and early summer. During tropical cyclones that impact the MAB continental shelf, such as Hurricane Irene in 2011, shear driven mixing of Cold Pool water across the thermocline has the potential to cool the oceans surface and reduce storm intensity. In this study we compare coastal ocean advection and mixing processes during Hurricane Sandy and Hurricane Arthur, an offshore tracking tropical cyclone in the summer of 2014, to demonstrate the range of potential storm impacts on the coastal ocean of the MAB. To perform this analysis we use data from advanced Slocum autonomous underwater glider deployments in each storm as well as the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS).