The Atlantic Environmental Group has been the principal user of XBT tran- 

 sect-plot graphics. By convention AEG has specified that transects be orient- 

 ed on these plots so that the coastal end of a transect (usually the northern 

 or western end) is on the left side of the plot. In table 1, first-to-last 

 stations are indicated in the direction of travel --sometimes toward, sometimes 

 away from the land. Because these conventions may conflict, on some transect 

 plots the order of stations is opposite that indicated in the Station Numbers 

 Column of table 1. Transects for which this is the case are indicated by an 

 asterisk in the table. 



Another AEG usage is to begin each transect plot at the surface, extending 

 it down to the depth specified in the depth-scale column of table 1. A "D" 

 in that column signifies default values of 200 m and 800 m. 



When simultaneous surface seawater temperature and salinity observations 

 are submitted with the XBT analog data it is possible to plot these values as 

 part of the transect-plot graphic (see plot at top of fig. 1) . For cruises 

 lacking separate surface-water temperature observations, the strip-chart zero- 

 depth value of temperature is used to plot the surface temperature profile. 

 For cruises lacking surface salinity data, no such alternative is available. 

 Availability of surface salinity data is indicated in the last column of table 

 1. 



Requests for, or inquiries about, NODC-held Ship-of -Opportunity XBT data 

 or data products should be directed to: 



National Oceanographic Data Center (D761) 

 Environmental Data and Information Service, NOAA 

 Washington, DC 20235 



The transect-plot graphics, accompanied by a digital listing of the com- 

 ponent XBT data, can be obtained from NODC at a cost ranging from $5 to $60, 

 among other things depending on the number of XBT stations along the transect. 

 The requester should specify the ship name and cruise and station numbers or 

 the NODC reference number and station numbers (as given in table 1) for the 

 transect desired. 



