RESULTS 



The niinual cvcIps of tcinporaturo and salinity 

 on the continental shelf l)et\veen Cape Cod and 

 Cape Hatteras have been described by Bigelow 

 (1933), Bijrelow and Sears (1935), Walfonl and 



Wickhind (lOGS). and others. The conditions 

 found in Aupiist 1974 were in general agreement 

 with most features found by previous investi- 

 gators (Table 2). 



TABLE 2.— Comparison of Oceanographic Features in the New York Bight in August 1974 



With Those Reported by Other Investigators 



Featu7'e 



Sea surface temperature 



Temperature difference between 

 surface and liottom at So-SO 

 meter contour zone 



Sea surface salinity 



Presence of cold core on shelf 



Presence of high salinity core on slope 

 Presence of shelf/slope temperature front 



Presence of shelf/slope salinity front 



August 197Jf Other Investigators 



2(T° to 25°C 20° to 25°C 



(Walford and Wickluntl, 1968) 



9° to 15°C 13 to 16°C 



(Bigelow, 1933) 



15°C 

 (Walford and Wicklund) 



<31V.o to >35V..<32Voo to >35Voo 



(Bigelow and Sears, 1935) 



Yes Yes (Bigelow, 1933; 



Bigelow and Sears, 1935; 

 Whitcomb, 1970) 



Yes 



Yes 



Yes 



Yes (Bigelow and Sears, 

 1935; AVhitcomb, 1970) 



Yes (Bigelow, 1933; 

 Bigelow and Sears, 

 1935; Cresswelh 1967) 



Yes (Bigelow, 1933; 

 Bigelow and Sears, 

 1935; Cresswell, 1967) 



Cold Core 



A cold core was found on the shelf at depths 

 of 20 m. to 60 m. from the surface, at a distance 

 of 20 to 70 nmi from the coast (fig. 7-12). This 

 core, mentioned by Bigelow (1933), was defined 

 by AVhitcomb (1970), as having temperatures 

 below 8°C. The pool or core is the remant of a 

 winter shelf water formed at the surface (Whit- 

 comb, 1970). Becau.se of the southwesterly 

 0.2-0.5 nmi per day bottonj drift along the shelf 

 (Bumpus, 1965). there is some renewal of the 

 core from the northeast, however, this renewal 

 is probably minor compared to the annual re- 

 newal through surface cooling. The core, in 



August 1974. was found only at stations 11 and 

 21, thus it was considerably smaller than that 

 shown in Whitcomb (1970) and than the La^C 

 core shown in Walford and Wickhind (1968). 

 However, the presence of a cold core defined by 

 the 10°C isotherm can be easily traced along the 

 shelf from section F to section A (figs. 7-12). 

 Evidence of a tongue related to the core was 

 found at station 28. The source of this tongue 

 can be traced northeast through station 37 to 

 station 4.') along the sigma-t surface of about 

 26.1). An aitenuitive identification of a tongue 

 as a "calved Imlilile" is discussed by Cresswell 

 (1967). 



6 



