Temperature Sampling 



ART surveys are flown on transects normal to 

 the coastline and expected thermal fronts. The 

 north to south transect sepaiations are approxi- 

 mately 55 km. After each monthly survey, the in- 

 flight calibration corrections are applied to the 

 ART strip chart data at the CG OCEANOU. The 

 data from the strip chart aie plotted and contoured 

 in whole degrees Celsius. Whole degree contours 

 are drawn through the whole degree crossings on 

 each transect. Contour philosophy allows subjec- 

 tive interpertation and is influenced by additional 

 data from satellite and shipboard observations. 



Marine Animal Observations 



Although the principal objective of ART sur- 

 veys is to gather monthly SST, surface marine 

 animal sightings were observed and recorded. To 

 do this. Coast Guard observers were trained by 

 the National Mai-ine Fisheries Service (NMFS) 

 personnel from Sandy Hook Marine Laboratory, 

 New Jersey. During the course of the survey, ob- 

 servations of marine life are noted on the strip 

 chart. Each observation is carefully annotated at 

 the appropriate points along the IR trace for later 

 tabulation at CG OCEANOU. When practicable, 

 photographs are taken of marine animals. 



The most common marine animal observations 

 are: flying fish. Ocean Sunfish, shark (other than 

 Hammerhead sharks). Hammerhead shark, por- 

 poise, whale, Manta ray, ray (other than Manta 

 ray), and turtle. 



Marine animal observations are limited by 

 weather, sea state, and an organism's size and 

 swimming characteristics. 



RESULTS 



Monthly Isotherm Charts 



Sea surface temperature contoured charts for 

 the Atlantic coastal waters from Cape Cod to 



Miami are presented in twelve monthly charts 

 (figs. 4-15). 



Sometimes a survey team had to return to an 

 area missed earlier that month and in the interim 

 the SST structure may have changed significantly 

 preventing a logical contour plot. Dashed con- 

 tours or blank (no data) areas on surface isotherm 

 charts reflect these occasions. 



A statistical approach was used to describe the 

 seasonal SST variation over the continental shelf 

 waters. A distance weighted mean temperature 

 was obtained for each transect by the following 

 formula: 



Z '^'Ti 



_ i=l,n 



Where: T 

 T. 



Distance weighted mean tem- 

 perature 



Value of an isotherm crossing 

 transect 



Distance weighting factor 

 equal to the distances between 

 the isotherm crossing and the 

 midpoints between it and adja- 

 cent isotherms or it and the end 

 point of the transect as shown 

 in figure 16. 



Number of isotherms crossing 

 the transects. 



The statistical approach led to a time-series 

 temperature profile on a time-space grid (fig. 17). 

 Distance weighted averages taken from 20 

 monthly equally spaced transects normal to the 

 coastline were point values of temperature used in 

 constructing the profile. The profile is presented 

 as a visual aid in examing the one year SST cycle 

 between Cape Cod, Massachusetts and Miami, 

 Florida. Fishery investigators may find this pro- 

 file of interest in explaining possible variations of 



