July Hydrographic Survey Conducted in the Florida Straits

AOML physical oceanographers and interns conducted a hydrographic survey along the 27th north parallel in the Florida Straits aboard the R/V F.G. Walton Smith on July 14-15 as a component of the Western Boundary Time Series project. These 2-day cruises are designed to calibrate daily estimates and quantify Florida Current volume transport and water mass changes.

Cruise participants also set adrift a series of messages in bottles written by Miami school children who attended AOML’s Open House in May. These messages were cast into the Florida Current, a component of the larger Gulf Stream which travels northward from Florida to Newfoundland before crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

Photo credit: NOAA

  • AOML Intern Ciro Liutti gets ready to release a message in a bottle off the back of the F.G. Walton Smith into the Florida Current. Image credit: NOAA
  • AOML physical oceanographers and summer interns with the CTD on the back of the F.G. Walton Smith. Image credit: NOAA
  • Messages written by local schoolchildren are bottled up and ready for deployment. Image credit: NOAA
  • AOML staff load the CTD onto the deck of the F.G. Walton Smith prior to departure. Image credit: NOAA
  • The R/V F.G. Walton Smith docked in Miami. Image credit: NOAA
  • Messages in bottles on the deck of the F.G. Walton Smith awaiting deployment. Image credit: NOAA

Image Captions

From Left:

  1. AOML Intern Ciro Liutti gets ready to release a message in a bottle off the back of the F.G. Walton Smith into the Florida Current. Image credit: NOAA
  2. AOML physical oceanographers and summer interns with the CTD on the back of the F.G. Walton Smith. Image credit: NOAA
  3. Messages written by local schoolchildren are bottled up and ready for deployment. Image credit: NOAA
  4. AOML staff load the CTD onto the deck of the F.G. Walton Smith prior to departure. Image credit: NOAA
  5. The R/V F.G. Walton Smith docked in Miami. Image credit: NOAA
  6. Messages in bottles on the deck of the F.G. Walton Smith awaiting deployment. Image credit: NOAA