Abstract
The parametric model used by Schmitz and Vastano (1975) to investigate a Gulf Stream cyclonic ring has been applied to successive observations of a Gulf of Mexico anticyclonic ring. Coefficients for a polynomial representation of the transverse streamfunction ψ(r,z) were determined for pairs of eddy diffusivity coefficients. Using the minimum least-squares error residual as a criterion, the best flow pattern for the ring occurred for (Kh,Kz)=(106,0) cm2 s−1. The total transverse transport through the ring was found to be an order of magnitude larger than that found in the Gulf Stream cyclonic ring.
