Subduction in the subtropical gyre : Seasoar cruises data report

Abstract

The overall objective of the Subduction Accelerated Research Initiative (ARI) was to bring together several techniques to address the formation and evolution of newly formed water masses. The Seasoar component provided surveys of temperature and salinity to help determine the spatial varability of the temperature, salinity and density fields in both the active frontal regions and in the vicinity of subducting water tagged by bobbers. Data were collected in the eastern North Atlantic Ocean in spring 1991, winter 1992, winter 1993 and spring 1994. "Star" patterns were used to study the mesoscale varability. Temperature, pressure and thickness for each pattern were objectively mapped on potential density surfaces of 26.5, 26.7 and 26.9 kg/m3. Acoustic Doppler Current Profies (ADCP) maps were also created for the the two shallower density surfaces. We describe the Seasoar data collected during the four cruises. A CD-Rom includes 1- and 3-second conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD), cruise navigation, ADCP and Seasoar engineering data, as well as color figures of these data. This data report can also be viewed using an internet information browser (i.e., Mosaic, Netscape) using the provided CD-Rom.