The underway temperature and salinity log measured temperature and salinity from an intake pipe 5 m below the surface every 15 sec. This proved to be extremely valuable survey tool since it provided continuous spatial information. The temperature had a noise of about 0.004 C; the salinity had a noise of about 0.005 psu; the actual values differed from near surface CTD measurements by roughly 0.1 C and 0.2 psu. Drift over the cruise appears to be small, but a clear determination awaits detailed intercomparison with CTD data. During high winds, spikes of low salinity, presumably caused by bubbles entering the conductivity cell, were common, but not so much so as to render the data useless.

A total of 63 XBTs were launched, as shown in Figure. In strong winds, numerous temperature spikes, presumably caused by the wire hitting the ship or launch tube, rendered the data useless, unless the ship was travelling nearly downwind and the probes were launched from the fantail. This accounts for the peculiar, irregular sampling pattern.

Figure shows the logged surface temperature along the cruise track. The coldest (-1 C) and freshest (33 psu) surface water occurs near the two ice edges. The warmest water occurs on the northern half of the section. The region of intermediate temperature (and salinity) on the southern half of the section is the center of the Labrador Sea gyre, as can be seen from the upward bowing isopycnals in Figure. Two anomalously warm (and salty) regions were found in the gyre center: one near station 15 and one west of Bravo. They became the focus of a detailed study since they had 500-m deep mixed layers, about twice the depth of the surrounding mixed layers.