rNTRODUCTIOW. 



Betveen the covers of this pul)llcation are assemhled the data 

 and analyses of all the known temperature and salinity ohserva- 

 tions made in the Persian Gulf. Charts previously published have 

 "been reproduced along vith each author's comments on the temperature- 

 salinity regime and its relationship to other environmental factors 

 as determined "by the particular set(s) of o'bservations availa"ble 

 for study at the time . 



An analysis of recent temperature- salinity o"bservations (taken 

 since 1950 ) has "been prepared and is included; charts for each ob- 

 servation series are presented for the surface, 10-meter, 20-meter, 

 and 30-iaeter levels. The position or location of observations are 

 shown in Section I; the appendixes contain the observational data 

 upon which the analyses are based. The distribution of bathyther- 

 mograph data by 1° squares has been charted and included in Section 

 I (Figure 1-8). Results of a I96I survey (NODC Cruise 31865) were 

 received and the processing completed just before going to press. 

 These are included in order that this document might be as complete 

 as possible; analyses for these data are not presented. 



COMMENT. 



Schott, in his classical treatment of the Gulf, presents four 

 seasonal temperature distributions and two (winter and summer) for 

 salinity conditions. From the information and data contained in 

 References 5 and 6 and Tables 1 and 2, it appears that the summer 

 salinity chart is based primarily on data collected in the month 

 of September and may not be totally indicative of the summer ex- 

 treme . Salinity data for the winter (February) season appears to 

 be adequate and representative . Temperature data appears to be 

 plentiful for August as well as other months. Schott's data 

 summary shows that the absolute temperature maximum for all lati- 

 tudes in the Gulf occur in August; all areas except one show the 

 maximum occuring in the ten-day period between the 11th and 21st. 



Apparently, K. 0. Emery was guided by Schott's temperature 

 analysis in planning his 19^4-8 survey; his survey was undertaken 

 at the very height of the summer season, all the work being con- 

 ducted between the 15th and 30th of August (WODC Cruise 3ISOI+) . 

 Emery's work alone provides the only collection of oceanographic 

 stations for the summer months; he also has provided probably 

 the greatest voliime of BT observations covering mid- summer 



