Oceanographic Observations, 1956 

 East Coast of the United States 



Abstract 



The daily water temperature and salinity observations from sixteen 

 locations along the Atlantic seaboard during 195^ are tabulated and dis- 

 cussed. Diagrams of the one -third monthly means are presented. This is 

 the first time that it has been possible to present a sjiioptic descrip- 

 tion of the annual cycle of temperature and salinity for the coastal 

 waters of the United States. 



Introduction 



Through the cooperation of the U. S. Coast Guard, the V7oods Hole 

 Oceanographic Institution established in late 1955 a series of Oceano- 

 graphic Observation Posts at a number of the lightship stations along 

 the east coast of the United States. Each lightship was furnished with 

 a kit of oceanographic equipment and was requested to make the following 

 observations: 



Daily bathytheimograph lowering. 

 Daily surface water temperature leading and 

 surface water sample. 

 ' Daily record of air temperature, weather, 



wind and clouds. 

 Weekly bottom water sample. 



These data have been forwarded on a monthly basis to Woods Hole 

 where they have been processed. The bathythennograms have been read at 

 several levels and tabulated in the accompanying tables. The surface 

 water temperatures were used as a check on the bathythermograph. The 

 water samples were titrated for saj-inity and tabiolated. The records of 

 air temperature, weathe;r, wind and clouds were used in studying the 

 other data, but are not presented here as they are the same as those 

 published in the daily weather maps issued by the U. S. Weather Bureau. 

 In addition to tabulating these data, mean temperatures for each level 

 for 3 equal time periods per month have been determined and plotted as 

 time profiles for the year for each station. The one -third monthly 

 mean surface temperatures have also been plotted in comparison with the 

 monthly mean surface temperature for the period of record of each 

 station. The surface salinity one -third monthly means have been appended 

 to the profiles, together with the weekly bottom salinity values. 



The monthly mean surface water temperatures for the year 1956 for 

 all stations are listed in Table 1, for comparison with previous 

 records (Bumpus, 1957). 



