Temperature of Bay waters fluctuates with the seasonal changes in air temperature and solar radiation. The plot displays two examples of temperature depth profiles that were collected using the a CTD. Temperature data can also be used to analyze long term temperature temporal variability.

Plot Description:
1. This profile was measured in Central Bay on July 17, 1996. It illustrates the condition in which temperature is nearly uniform from top to bottom -- a temperature gradient is small or absent -- because mixing is faster than surface heating. (But notice that there are small, irregular temperature changes with depth).

2. This profile was measured in San Pablo Bay on July 17, 1996. It illustrates a condition in which the upper layer of the water is warmer than the lower layers. This example shows that water temperature is not necessarily uniform from top to bottom -- a temperature gradient can exist in the water. In this case, the surface water was about two degrees Centigrade (or almost four degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than the bottom water.