Towed Thermistor Chain Observations in Fronts-80

• Main Authors: Paulson,C A, Baumann,R J, DeWitt,L M, Spoering,T J, Wagner,J D
• Other Authors: OREGON STATE UNIV CORVALLIS SCHOOL OF OCEANOGRAPHY
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1980
• Subjects: Physical and Dynamic Oceanography; *TEMPERATURE; MEASUREMENT; ARRAYS; DEPTH; TIME; VARIATIONS; PROFILES; THERMISTORS; CROSS SECTIONS; SURFACE WATERS; NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN; TOWED BODIES; Ocean fronts; WUNR083102; Pacific; North Atlantic
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA093674; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA093674

Observations of temperature and pressure in the upper 100 meters were taken with a towed thermistor chain in January 1980 north of Hawaii. The observations were taken as a part of a cooperative investigation of the North Pacific subtropical front entitled FRONTS-80. The chain was towed on four occasions over a total 700 nautical miles between latitudes of 26 and 34 degrees N. The observations were averaged over sequential 30-s intervals and cross-sections of temperature and temperature profiles were plotted. The observations show that the surface expression of the North Pacific subtropical front was composed to multiple fronts having temperature contrasts ranging from a few tenths to about 2 degrees C. The horizontal gradients of surface temperature were as large as 0.5 C in 300 meters. Vertical temperature gradients associated with the fronts were both positive and negative. Changes in surface temperature across the fronts were usually, but not always, associated with salinity changes tending to minimize the change in density. On one occasion a 2 degrees C change in temperature across a front with no change in salinity was observed. (Author)