Review of the Equatorial Oceanographic Experiment

Abstract

Observations of the equatorial current system have revealed that its structure is subject to considerable variations. To clarify the nature of these variations and their dependence on the surface winds, measurements on a spatial and time scale much greater than that which can be covered by a single ship are necessary. Such experiment must obviously coincide with a meteorological one that will furnish detailed wind data. GATE affords a unique opportunity for an oceanographic experiment which is described in this paper. It is the aim of the experiment to study the dynamics of the equatorial current system with particular emphasis on the Equatorial Undercurrent and to determine the scales of transient equatorial phenomena such as trapped waves, instabilities, and meanders. Though a number of separate experiments are described, it should be kept in mind that they are all interrelated and that they are not independent.