Paper 13 



gathered temperatures might be questioned^ it is still of 

 interest to make such a comparison. The difference between Loj 

 altitude ART and bucket temperatures is small; ART temperatures 

 averaged 1 . CC lower than bucket values/^ and 95% of ART values 

 were 0.5C to 1.6C lower than bucket values. Comparisons between 

 ART observations on Coast Guard aircraft and surface truth 

 measurements have shown differences of less than 1C.- 



For both the 1976 ART data and Walford and Wicklund's (1968) 

 data/ a monthly^ distance weiqhted/ mean transect SST was 

 calculated for each of 20 equally spaced sampling transects from 

 Care Cod to Miami (Fig. 13.1). The sampling transects were 

 aligned normal to the l&G-m isobath and the shoreline 

 (Fig. 13.2). The weighted means are given in Tables 13.1 and 

 13.2. The means from the 20 transects were averaged to give the 

 mean east coast SST for each month (Fig. 13.3). The monthly 

 means were than averaged to give an annual mean east coast SST. 



The 1976 annual mean east coast SST averaged just 0.6C below the 

 historical annual mean SST of 19. OC (Fig. 13.3). In 1976/ 

 January/ February/ and September-December SST's were below 

 historical averages. Conversely/ the remaining spring and summer 

 months were slightly warmer than the historical average. 



In addition to the comparisons for the entire 

 Middle Atlantic Bight winter and summer 

 compared. This was done by averaging the 

 weighted mean transect SST's for transects 14 

 obtain monthly Middle Atlantic Sight SST's. 

 and July-September monthly Middle Atlantic Big 

 averaged to give seasonal winter and summer inea 

 1976 data and Walford and Wicklund's C196b) 

 1976 SST in the Bight was 5.6C/ which is 

 historical averages. Interestingly/ the July-S 

 east coast SST's were 0.1C warmer than the his 

 as were the 1976 mean Middle Atlantic Bight val 



east coast/ the 

 temperatures were 



monthly distance 

 -19 (Fig. 13.2) to 

 The January- ^l arch 

 ht SST 's were then 

 ns for both the 



data. The winter 

 .3C coo ler t han 

 eptember 1976 mean 

 torical averages/ 

 ues . 



The warmest monthly distance weighted mean transect SST off the 

 east coast in 1976 was transect 1 off Miami/ FL/ in August with a 

 value of 29C; the coolest was transect 2j off Cape Cod/ MA/ in 

 March with a value of 3.8C. 



'Picket/ R. L. 1966. Accuracy of an airborne infrared 

 radiation thermometer. U.S. Naval Oceanographic Office/ Informal 

 Manuscript Report No. C-1-66. 



210 



