Southeast Coastal Ocean Report 16 spanning the Straits of Florida (Fig. 3b.1). The undersea cable voltages can be converted to physically meaningful transport estimates (i.e., intensity of the flow), using electromagnetic induction theory and data from calibration cruises (cross-stream sections).  These transport records contain decadal changes, of the order of 10-25% of the long-term mean transport, that track the North Atlantic Oscillation Index.  By extension, the strong correlation of Florida Current transport variability with the North Atlantic Oscillation indicates a correlation with the large-scale sea-surface temperature patterns associated with the North Atlantic Oscillation.  This suggests connections to tropical Atlantic variability on climatically significant time scales.  Numerous societally significant weather and climate phenomena are thought to be related through large scale ocean-atmosphere patterns in the Atlantic, including decadal and inter-decadal variations in fisheries, rainfall, and hurricane activity.    The present funding for the WBTS provides for continuous collection of cable voltages (every minute) and automated processing of simple geomagnetic corrections.  In addition to the cable measurements, quarterly calibration cruises are required.  Four two-day small boat calibration cruises on the (R/V F. G. Walton Smith) are conducted each year.  These measurements complement a related project that measures the upper ocean thermal structure in the Atlantic through high-density Volunteer Observing Ship (VOS) expendable bathythermograph (XBT) observations.    At Eight Mile Rock, Grand Bahamas Island and in West Palm Beach, Florida, electrode equipment provides a stable reference voltage (i.e., grounds) at either end of the submerged telephone cable (owned by AT&T) that extends across the Straits of  Florida (Fig. 3b.1).  Recording instruments for the cable measurements are located at Eight Mile Rock.  Data acquisition was interrupted in the late summer of 2004 when Hurricane Frances and then Hurricane Jeanne substantially damaged infrastructure on the Bahamas, including telephone service and electricity.  Some data are likely to be unrecoverable. A temporary recording system was installed on October 28, 2004 to begin acquiring new data while a permanent replacement was being built; the latter was installed on January 19, 2005. Within the past fiscal year, considerable progress has been made with the ΧFigure XXXXXXXXX Fig. 3b.1.  Locations of submarine telephone cables running beneath the Florida Current (solid lines) and stations (red) occupied during calibration cruises.