Abstract

The first near-synoptic CTD data set in the coastal waters of the Maltese Islands is presented. The nature of the summer water column stratification in the top 50m is studied. The data analysis reveals horizontal gradients in both temperature and salinity. A diurnal vertical oscillation of the thermocline is confirmed by comparison with subsurface temperature time series recorded at an open sea station in the area of study. The T,S profiles are characterised by very sharp salinity reversals at the subsurface layer where a stepwise micro-structure is developed