The distance in meters between two successive wave crests or troughs. Practical salinity is defined in terms of the ratio of the electrical conductivity of a seawater sample to that of a potassium chloride reference solution at 15 C and standard sea level pressure. Salinity on the South Atlantic Bight continental shelf can range from less than 31 to slightly above 36 psu, and is typically in the range of 34 to 35.5 psu. Depth Meters below the sea surface of the instrument package, calculated from measured pressure. Since the instrument package depth is fixed, its depth varies with tidal height.
Density is reported in kilograms per cubic meter of seawater.
DOM can significantly affect ocean water color in coastal and shelf regions, where fresh water mixes with sea water. Measuring the blue light emitted under UV excitation provides a sensitive indicator of the amount of colored DOM in sea water. The chlorophyll fluorometer exposes a small volume of sea water to blue light and converts the red emission to a voltage signal. This provides a sensitive indicator of the chlorophyll content in sea water, and thus the abundance of phytoplankton. This instrument uses acoustic pulses to measure mean currents in 1-meter depth cells throughout the water column.