A Lagrangian Approach to Study the Gulf of Mexico’s Deep Circulation (NCEI Accession 0159562)

The data acquisition had two main elements: 1) a deep drifter study employing RAFOS floats and sound sources, which provided Lagrangian drifter tracks at 1500 and 2500 m nominal depth in the Gulf of Mexico; and 2) a profiling float study employing APEX floats, similar to the US Argo program, where CTD profiles are obtained at regularly spaced time intervals from freely drifting floats. The APEX profiling floats were additionally equipped with WetLabs optical sensors that measured chlorophyll, particle backscatter, and colored dissolved organic mater (CDOM) through the water column from the surface to 1500 m, and RAFOS acoustic receivers. The latter were used to monitor the four sound sources, and provide additional trajectories at 1500 m (the rest depth of the floats). The program was supported with remote sensing (sea-surface temperature and ocean color), and altimetry for mapping sea surface height (remote sensing data is not included on the DVD).