coverage and the synopticity. Standard hydrographic casts will also be needed because it will 

 be important to measure the chemical constituents to distinguish water masses, and to estimate 

 the amount of these constituents being exchanged across the front. Approximately four to five 

 days of shiptime will be needed for each survey, with a total of perhaps four surveys during the 

 program. 



STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS OF PROPOSED RESEARCH 



The studies outlined above are fairly robust in the sense that they utilize off-the-shelf or 

 existing measurement equipment and techniques. The second goal, to measure bio-physical 

 interactions, is the most difficult because of the difficulty of dealing with spatial inhomogeneities. 

 However, it can be addressed using much of the array required in the study of the low frequency 

 baroclinic field, and the two measurements would complement each other. The real limitation 

 in the program is the imbalance between the equipment required and the equipment in the hands 

 of the OMP investigators at the moment. At this point there are three ADCPs that are suitable, 

 one at BNL and 2 (perhaps 3) at NCSU, four SEACATs (at BNL), and 15 fluorometers that are 

 in need of refurbishment (at BNL) and two FRRs. A significant increase in hardware and 

 manpower will be needed to make any of these ideas feasible. 



For the shipboard surveys we have a CTD/Rosette and TOYO system that work very well. 

 However, we have limited manpower to cover the number of cruises that are contemplated (four 

 to eight) and to process the data. The TOYO has proven extremely useful, but it is limited in 

 depth range (about 50 m) and speed (< 3kts), and since it uses the same CTD that goes on the 

 rosette, it puts at greater risk a vital piece of equipment needed by everybody on the ships. A 

 SEASOAR potentially would address these issues, although it will require substantial effort to 

 make it ready for shallow shelf work. 



STATUS OF RESEARCH 



To date in the OMP program we have participated in two cruises to the Cape Hatteras 

 area, May 1993 and March- April 1994. The data from the May 1993 cruise, which included 

 standard hydro- and chemistry casts and TOYO surveys, have been processed and archived. Some 

 of this data was presented at the September OMP meeting. Work is under way on two papers, 

 one on the general hydrographic and chemical distributions seen on the cruise, and another on 

 the "cold band" eddies that were seen. The data from the March/April 1994 OMP cruise are 

 being processed. On this latest cruise we deployed our bottom-moored ADCP and four 

 SEACATs at a central mooring as part of a triangular array to examine the variability of the area 

 and test the feasibility of making long- term, moored, dissolved oxygen measurements. The 

 moorings will be retrieved near the end of June and the data processed over the next six months. 



Keywords: hydrography, moored sensors, ADCP, TOYO, circulation 



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