Direct Measurements of the Malvinas Current Velocity Structure

Direct velocity measurements of the Malvinas Current (MC) were carried out on multiple occupations five transects across flow using a Shipborne Acoustic Profiler (SADCP) R/V Akademik Sergey Vavilov and Mstislav Keldysh. These data are used to determine local features three-dimensional field current. The covered northern branch Antarctic Circumpolar (ACC) southern part MC. Five located at 350–550 km from each other Drake Passage western Argentine Basin 46°S. new observations reveal that current is organized in two branches, namely, an inshore extending depth 200–300 m main offshore branch, which flows approximately over 1,400 isobath. This two-branch structure observed cross-flow transects. velocities exceed 40 cm/s studied crossing MC cold boundary follows Subantarctic Front. originates as offshoot ACC continues Falkland/Malvinas Plateau along slope Basin. Volume transports upper 700 calculated for range between 1.4 4.4 Sv 21.2 25.5 (main) branch.