ture observed and tliree measures of the Labrador 

 Current transport (total, <2°C, <0°C) are 

 given in Table II for each of the sections occu- 

 pied. 



Considering sections occupied nearly simul- 

 taneously (within the same survej-) a genera! 

 decrease in transport and increase in minimum 

 temperature is noticed in going from north to 

 south. These spatial changes are expected since, 

 as the water in the current moves southward, it 

 continuously mixes with the warmer water off- 

 shore in the North Atlantic Current to form a 

 large pool of mixed water (Hawley and Soide, 

 1940) in the dynamic trough between the two 

 currents. The decrease in soutliward transport 

 suggests that no major contribution is made to 

 the Labrador Current by water from the Grand 

 Banks region to the west. Apparent influxes of 

 water from the Grand Banks indicated in the 

 dynamic topography (e.g., fig. 6) are likely due 

 to a lack of synopticity in the data, as well as 

 being an artifact of the extrapolation technique 

 used in shallow water. 



The temporal change in the Labi-ador Current 

 transport is seen by comparing the values at sec- 

 tion A3, which was occupied six times during 

 the year (fig. 13). All three measures of the 

 volume transport increase to a maximum in April 

 and decrease during the rest of the year. The 

 maximum total southward transport in April is 



approximately twice the minimum value in No- 

 vember. Tlie minimum temperature al.so exhibits 

 extremes in April and November, with the April 

 value being more than two degrees colder than 

 observed in November. 



A second view of the temporal change in the 

 Labrador Current is obtained from the three oc- 

 cupations of section Al (two by STD, one by 

 XBT) within a o8 hour period. The geostrophic 

 currents indicate an increase in transport, par- 

 ticularly of cold (<0°C) water, over that time. 

 The temperature cross sections (figs. 14, 3nA, and 

 40A) show the area of cold water increasing 

 with time. The — 1°C envelope extended east 

 ward more than 20 km over the outer shelf dur- 

 ing the period. The XBT section temperature 

 distribution, while more patchy, is intennediatc 

 between the 8TD observations, suggesting that 

 a progressive change was occuring in the Labra- 

 dor Current properties. The implication is that, 

 while a fairly smooth yearly pattern may be 

 evident in fig. 13, significant changes in water 

 properties and volume transport do occur on rela 

 tively short tiiiie scales. Similar results have 

 been obtained by repeated occupation of section 

 A3 closely spaced in time (AVolford, 1966). 



Acknowledgement : M. AUes, S. Friday, N. Leraoine, 

 B. Peters, and D. Startt are thanked for their work In 

 processing of tlie data presented in this report. 



