Summary

Description

As a French contribution to the international TOGA-COARE (Tropical Ocean and Global Atmosphere - Coupled Ocean Atmosphere Response Experiment) programme, the COARE-POI cruise, on board the R/V Le Noroit, was carried out by the ORSTOM-SURTROPAC group in Noumea, New Caledonia, together with participation of U.K. and other scientists. From December 01, 1992 to March 02, 1993, 18 temperature, salinity, an current sections were made from 5 degree South - 5 Degree North along the 156 degree E meridian, and 2 sections in the Coral Sea from 20 degree South - 163 degree East to 6 South - 156 degree East. The following operations were made: 165 CTD casts with rosette samples every 0.5 degree / 1 degree latitude, continuous measurements of absolute current with an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler, continuous measurement of temperature and salinity from the surface to 300 meter depth using a Seasoar continuous measurements of sea-surface temperature and salinity, standard meteorological observations at every 3 hours, deployments of 54 drifting buoys, fine-scale measurements at the air-sea interface, XBT, together with mooring recoveries and deployments.