FASINEX Frontal Air-Sea Interaction Experiment (January-June 1986) : cruise summaries for FASINEX phase two; R/V OCEANUS cruise 175, R/V ENDEAVOR cruise 141

Abstract

The Frontal Air-Sea Interaction Experiment (FASINEX) was a study of the response of the upper ocean to atmospheric forcing in the vicinity of an oceanic front in the subtropical convergence zone southwest of Bermuda, the response of the lower atmosphere in that vicinity to the oceanic front, and the associated two-way interaction between ocean and atmosphere. FASINEX began in the winter (January 1986) , concluded in the early summer (June 1986) and included an intensive period in February and March. The experiment took place in the vicinity of 27°N, 70°W where sea-surface-temperature fronts are climatologically common. Measurements were made from buoys, ships, aircraft and spacecraft. This report summarizes the shipboard work done on R/V OCEANUS and R/V ENDEAVOR during Phase Two, the dual ship/multi-aircraft measurement period. The two ships worked individually, jointly and as ground truth for the aircraft during the month. Each ship carried specialized instrumentation for measuring oceanographic and meteorological parameters. Information describing the sampling strategy, station positions and times are included. This report contains summaries of the data collected and some preliminary results.