



TEMPERATURE RANGE 

 IH THE COLD CELL 











G < 



12-1 

 12- IE 



°C 





100 



- 





90 



" 









BO 











70 



- 







G 



60 



" 







F' 



50 









f 





40 



" 







1 





30 











20 











10 









• DEPTH TO CENTER 







, , 





1 







Figure 4. 



-Variations in cold cell temperature and depth along the HOTEL transect — September 

 and October of 1974. 



A 



tl 



< 9-i5°C 



I DEPTH TO CENTER 



SEP OCT 



Figure 5. 



-Composite plot of cold cell temperature and depth — May, June, August, Sep- 

 tember, and October of 1974. 



elevated temperatures were not observed until the end of 

 September. The cold water was found in relatively shal- 

 low depths (20-40 m) in the spring, but as warming of 

 shelf waters increased during the summer, the cell moved 

 into deeper water. Observations made in the fall also in- 

 dicated that the cell covered a greater depth range than 

 in the spring. There seemed to be an increase in the 

 minimum cell temperature from north to south, but 

 there were not sufficient data to separate geographic 

 variations from those caused by seasonal changes. A 

 more detailed analysis would require more frequent ob- 

 servations made at regular intervals. 



Gulf Stream. — Considerable attention has been focus- 

 ed on fluctuations in the position of the Gulf Stream. In 

 addition to shipboard observations of temperature and 

 salinity, satellite and aircraft observations of surface 

 temperature are being used to differentiate between 

 water masses. Because the SOOP transects intersect the 

 Gulf Stream at discrete points with considerable spatial 



and temporal separation, complete coverage of the Gulf 

 Stream and associated features by this means is impos- 

 sible. However, when correlated with the satellite obser- 

 vations the transect data provide a source of ground 

 truth for the remote sensors, as well as valuable subsur- 

 face information for investigators involved in study of the 

 Gulf Stream system and other water masses. 



During 1974, SOOP transects crossed the Gulf Stream 

 12 times. These crossings are summarized in Figures 6-9 

 and Table 5. Gulf Stream crossings were identified by 

 the strong horizontal gradients shown on vertical tem- 

 perature sections and positions of the North Wall were 

 determined by using the 15° C isotherm at 200 m 

 (Worthington 1964). 



Both The Gulf Stream Monthly Summary and the 

 NESS Experimental Gulf Stream Analysis (N-69) charts 

 provide information about fluctuations in the Gulf 

 Stream position. The information provided in these pub- 

 lications gives more complete and synoptic coverage over 

 the entire Gulf Stream system than is possible through 



