A series of CTD profiles were collected along with each ADCP transect. Significant spatial and temporal variation in stratification was seen between sections A, B, and C. Throughout ebb tide, the vertical structure along sections A and B remained highly stratified. As the tide progressed through slack the density steps were erased. The water restratified with the new ebb, but never became as stratified as the morning ebb. The evolution of the stratification at Section C differed from the other two.
Water only crosses isopycnal surfaces by mixing.
Nevertheless, the range of diffusivities found here agree with the value found using Thorpe scales. The overturns in the CTD profiles were used to estimate the mixing using Thorpe scales. Sample profiles for different tide phases are shown below. The overturns were by no means evenly distributed between the casts, there were 647 overturns in the 2 days of casts, but 15 out of the 105 casts had no overturns. The figure shows that most of the overturns occured in the top 60 meters of the water column.