Gulf of Mexico Float Analysis

Temperature Profiles

Georges Weatherly, Nicolas Wienders, and Reinard Harkema

Project Supported by Mineral Management Service under Contract 1435-01-00-CT-31105.

List of Figures
Fig. 1: Gulf of Mexico Map of Temperature profiles
Fig. 2: Plot of all Temperature Profiles
Fig. 3: Plot of average of all Temperature Profiles
Fig. 4: Temperature Difference map at 300m
Fig. 5: Temperature Difference map at 600m
Fig. 6: Temperature Difference map at 900m
Fig. 7 Gulf of Mexico Map of Temperature Profiles with Inversions
Gulf of Mexico average drifter velocities

Fig. 1 Number of temperature profiles in 1 degree latitude by 1 degrees longitude boxes obtained in water of depth 200 m or greater from PALACE floats during the interval April 9, 1998 - May 15, 2002 in the Gulf of Mexico. The total number of such profiles in the Gulf of Mexico is 1481. To see (a) a figure with all the profiles for a box and to see (b) a figure with the mean temperature profile for that box (solid curve) along with the mean of the 1481 total profiles (dashed curve) click on the number in each box.

Fig. 2 Plot of all 1481 temperature profiles

Fig. 3 Plot of the average of all profiles

Fig. 4 Temperature difference map (degrees C) at 300m obtained by subtracting the average at 300m of the total average profile (figure 2) from the average temp profile at 300m in each box in fig 1 .

Fig. 5 Temperature difference map (degrees C) at 600m obtained by subtracting the average at 300m of the total average profile (figure 2) from the average temp profile at 600m in each box in fig 1 .

Fig. 6 Temperature difference map (degrees C) at 900m obtained by subtracting the average at 300m of the total average profile (figure 2) from the average temp profile at 900m in each box in fig 1 .