THE MEDITERRANEAN WATER TONGUE AND ITS CHLOROFLUOROMETHANE SIGNAL IN THE IBERIAN BASIN IN EARLY SUMMER 1989

Hydrographic observations from the Iberian Basin demonstrate the varia bility of water masses in upper and intermediate layers. The surveyed area embraces the internal front between water masses from higher lati tudes and the Mediterranean outflow, exhibits several isolated Mediter ranean eddy (meddy) structures at middepth, and displays the virtual s ource region for the Mediterranean Water (MW) tongue off the Portugues e continental slope. The description is enhanced by additional chlorof luoromethane measurements, which show anomalously high concentrations at middepth, due to mixing of MW with the overlying Atlantic waters in the Gulf of Cadiz. The geostrophic stream function shows several medd ylike features that not only are remarkably extended in the depth rang e of the MW, but are also correlated with surface height anomalies.