Mass transfer between Gulf Stream rings

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Abstract
Experiments are performed to examine the close interaction of two anticyclonic Gulf Stream rings. A tracer is put in one ring initially, is advected, and diffuses into the other as the pair evolve in time. The appearance of the tracer streak lines is examined in the light of conservation of potential vorticity. Kinematic viscosity and tracer diffusivity are each varied over two orders of magnitude, and tracer behavior changes greatly. This work is analogized to the interaction of a warm‐core ring with the Gulf Stream, with the streamers observed in this work corresponding to those observed in ring/stream interactions.