Effects of the Winter of 1976-1977 on the Northwestern Sargasso Sea

Abstract

A survey was conducted in the northwestern Sargasso Sea during the spring to assess the effect and extent of the winter cooling of 1976 to 1977 on the ocean. Newly formed, well-mixed layers of 18°C water as deep as 550 meters were observed. The main thermocline south of the Gulf Stream was 100 to 150 meters deeper than it is on the average, which implies significant changes in the baroclinic transports.