MCR LTER: Coral Reef: Water Column: Offshore Water Profiles: CTD Transects

This dataset contains vertical water column profiles along transects heading offshore over the forereefs on the three sides of Moorea. These sides are designated north, southeast, and southwest. This process study intended to look for a hypothesized buoyant flow that would account for the counter-clockwise (CCW) circulation around the island. These transects were designed to look for cross-shore density gradients associated with the CCW flow. The SeaBird SBE19-Plus Profiler (CTD), outfitted with WetLabs FLNTURT-221 fluorometer, was cast at closely-spaced stations along transects oriented approximately normal to the three sides of the island. Standard CTD parameters (conductivity, temperature, and density) were used to calculate salinity, depth, and other physical quantities. No bottle samples were collected on these cruises.