Subsurface velocity data between 200 and 1350 m depth was collected in the ocean surrounding South Africa using neutrally buoyant RAFOS floats (Rossby et al, 1986) deployed under the auspices of the KAPEX program (Boebel et al., 1998). TOPEX/Poseidon and ERS sea surface height data were processed at the Stennis Space Centers' Naval Research Laboratory. The Modular Ocean Data Assimilation System (MODAS) generates absolute sea-surface steric height anomalies (Fox et al., 2001; Jacobs et al., 2001), which are referenced herein as MODAS SSH or simply SSH.

Three year (1997-1999) average of the absolute sea-surface steric height anomaly from the MODAS. The 1.5m SSH isoline is indicated in black and located within the yellow transition from the red regime (positive anomalies near 2 m) to the blue regime ('negative' anomalies around 1 m elevation). Selected RAFOS float trajectory segments (white lines with dots) in the ARC region are superposed. Isobaths at 0, 1000 and 3000m are given (red), and areas above sea-level are shaded gray, areas shallower than 1000m are dark blue. All trajectory segments start west of the Agulhas Plateau.

During the R/V Seward Johnson cruise 97/04 (Boebel et al. 2000), hull-mounted ADCP and XBT sections were taken during the outbound leg (leg a), a zonal leg (leg b) and the shore bound leg (leg c).