The influence of an Alaskan Stream eddy on flow through Amchitka Pass

Flow into the Bering Sea through Amchitka Pass in the central Aleutian Islands is shown to respond to the presence of a large meander/eddy in the Alaskan Stream south of the pass. Maximum flow into the Aleutian Basin of the Bering Sea occurs when the eddy center lies nearest to the axis of Amchitka Pass. A conceptual model of low-frequency circulation variability within the Bering Sea, based upon; results of empirical orthogonal function analyses of sea surface height anomalies measured by the Geosat radar altimeter, is presented.