The waters of the Gulf of Mexico as observed in 1958 and 1959.

The observations to be discussed were gathered from three cruises of the R/V Hidalgo in the form of serial observations at the stations shown in Fig. 1. Cruise 58-H-1 left Galveston on the 23rd of March, 1958 and occupied stations along the 94 degrees 30 minutes W meridian into the Gulf of Campeche near Puerto Mexico. One deep station was occupied on the return trip at 23 degrees 14 minutes N, 92 degrees 30 minutes W. Cruise 58-H-4, sponsored by the National Science Foundation as a part of the U.S. Program for the Internatinal Geophysical Year, left Galveston on May 14, 1958, and included observations in the Gulf, the Caribbean, and the Atlantic Ocean betwwen the U.S. Coast and Bermuda. Stations 1 to 4 were occupied on a line running southeast from Galveston to approximately 26 degrees 30 minutes N, 91 degrees 30 minute W. Here the observation program was held up on account of heavy weather and the next station, Station 5, was occupied at the northern extreme of Campeche Bank. The line then continued across Campeche Bank, and a section was occupied across the Yucatan Strait. At the conclusion of this cruise a line of 7 stations was occupied from Havana to the offing of the Mississippi Delta. Cruise 59-H-2 between 17 February and 1 March, 1959, occupied another north-south line across the West Gulf along the 93 degrees 30 minutes W meridian. During all three cruises attempts were made to have observations extended as close as possible to the bottom.