OCEANOGRAPHIC OBSERVATIONS, 1965 

 EAST COAST OF THE UNITED STATES 



By 



Joseph Chase, Associate Scientist 



Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution 



Woods Hole, Mass. 02543 



ABSTRACT 



Daily water temperature and salinity observations for 1965 

 from 13 locations along the Atlantic seaboard are tabulated, plotted, 

 and discussed. 



INTRODUCTION 



Through the cooperation of the U.S. Coast Guard, the Woods 

 Hole Oceanographic Institution established, late in 1955, a series of 

 oceanographic observation posts at lightships and light stations along 

 the east coast of the United States. Additional data have been obtained 

 from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution for Woods Hole, Mass. 



The lightship data were forwarded to Woods Hole, where they 

 were processed. The ba thy thermograms were read at several levels. 

 Salinities were determined by salinometer. The records of air 

 temperature, weather, wind, and clouds were used in studying the other 

 data but are not presented here. 



Parentheses have been used to enclosed mean values derived 

 from sparse data and daily temperature values extrapolated over a depth 

 of not more than 10 feet (3 m.) beyond the bottom of the trace. 



The daily data were tabulated, and mean temperatures for the 

 several depths for three periods (decads) in each month were plotted on 

 time-depth profiles for each station where bathythermographs were used. 

 The decad mean surface temperatures for 1965 have been plotted beside 

 the decad averages for 1956-64. 



Decad averages of surface salinity and of bottom temperature 

 for 1956-64 were calculated for comparison with the 1965 data. 



The monthly mean surface water temperatures for 1965 for all 

 stations are listed in table 1, for comparison with previous records 

 (Bumpus, 1957a, 1957b; Day, 1959a, 1959b, 1960, and 1963; Chase, 1964, 

 1965, 1966, 1967). 



