Paper 10 



Dauphin Islands AL/ and maximum summer temperatures 

 the most southern^ open ocean station/' Key West/ FL 



occurred at 



D ur i 



fair 



patt 



St at 



a nom 



and 



Anom 



peak 



oc cu 



peak 



the 



magn 



(-5. 



Arms 



t emp 



anom 



temp 



SST 



ng 1 



Ly 



e r n 

 i ons 

 a I ou 

 Ja 

 a lou 

 ed 



r r ed 

 i ng 

 coas 

 itud 

 U) 

 t ron 

 er at 

 a L ie 

 erat 

 anom 



976/ obse 

 comp Let e 

 of SST an 



f rem 

 sly cold 

 nua ry 19 

 s wa rm i ng 

 in March 

 over mos 

 in the L 

 t . The 

 e only 

 w as at 

 g (Rape 

 ures du r 

 s at Ga 

 ure were 

 alies wer 



rvat i 

 and 

 oma L i 

 New J 

 at al 

 76 w 

 bega 

 at 

 t of 

 arge 

 negat 

 at K 

 Ga I ve 

 r 11) 

 i ng 

 Lvest 

 cause 

 e cau 



ons of 

 showed 

 es s i m 

 er sey 

 I ?uLf 

 ith t 

 n in F 

 Cedar 

 the ar 

 nega t i 

 i ve a 

 ey irfes 

 St on / 

 i n 

 late 

 on du 

 d by s 

 sed by 



SST 



goo 

 i I ar 



to 



coa 

 he 

 ebru 



Key 

 ea f 

 ve a 

 noma 

 t/ F 



TX/ 



the 

 1976 

 ring 

 t ron 



hea 



's a 



d CO 



to 



Flo 

 st s 

 g rea 

 a ry 

 / F 

 or t 

 nom a 

 lies 

 L. 



i n 



i r 



al 



No 



g no 



t lo 



t Gu 



here 



that 



ri da 



tat i 



test 



in T 



L. 



he 



lies 



i n 

 The 



No 

 summ 

 so 



vemb 

 rt he 

 sse s 



If 

 nee 



obs 

 oc 

 ons 



an 

 e xas 



Ano 

 rema 



of 

 No 

 g rea 

 vemb 

 ary 

 f oun 

 e r . 

 r ly 



to 



coast 

 in spa 

 e rved 

 cur red 

 dur i ng 

 oma lie 

 / and 

 ma lous 

 inder 

 Novemb 

 vember 

 test n 

 er . 



of G 



d gre 



The a 



winds 



the CO 



Stat 



ce an 



at e 



S 



De ce 

 s in 



SST 

 coo 



of 

 e r ov 

 wer 

 egati 

 Ch amb 

 ulf 

 at est 

 noma I 

 / wh 

 Id/ d 



1 ons 

 d ti 

 ast 

 ST's 

 mber 

 Fl 

 ano 

 ling 

 the 

 er m 

 e < 

 ve a 

 e r I i 

 coas 

 ne 

 i es 

 erea 

 r y a 



were 



me . A 



coast 



were 



1975 



ri da . 

 mal i es 



then 



year/ 



ost of 



1 C in 

 noma ly 

 n and 

 t air 

 gat i ve 

 of air 

 s the 

 i r . 



GULF OF MEXICO COAST DENSITIES 



Long-term mean water density (Fig. 10.7) ranged from almost fresh 

 in January at Dauphin Island/ AL (in Mobile Bay)/ to open ocean 

 conditions at Key West/ FL . The months of minimum and maximum 

 densities varied and reflected variations in timing of local 

 river discharge. Minimum densities occurred January-June and 

 maximum densities occurred June-November. 



Anomalies of density in 1976 i^ere variable/ and apparently were 

 related to Local fluctuations of precipitation and runoff. 

 Negative anomalies of density were observed almost all year at 

 south Texas stations. Positive anomalies occurred during 

 August -October from Dauphin Island to Key West/ and into December 

 at stations in southern Florida. 



SUMMARY 



Although coastal station data are noisy and have frequent gaps in 

 coverage/ they do show large-scale coherences among stations. 

 These coherences are in general caused by climatic fluctuations 

 that affect long stretches of coastline. An extreme example of 

 such a climatic change is the strong northerly winds over much of 

 the eastern United States during November 1976. These winds 

 created negative anomalies of SST at coastal stations of at least 



156 



