Description: During the international "Overflow-Expedition" 1973 on R.V. "Meteor" oxygen concentrations in surface layers were measured in order to determine the oxygen gradients within the First two meters and to add some informations to the mechanisms of oxygen exchange at the air-sea interface. These investigations may be interesting also with regard to long-term-observations of the oxygen distribution in the Atlantic, especially the problem of the A.O.U. (apparent oxygen utilization) determination. To measure oxygen gradients a special sampler was built which is able to take water samples each 20 cm of the First 2 meters. These data were supplemented by further samples down to 150 m, taken by conventional water samplers, from which samples were also taken to measure N2/02-relations. By comparing these relations with theoretical relations in air-saturated water the influence of biological production and consumption on the oxygen contents in water could be estimated. A simple glass apparatus was built to extract gas from the water samples, and hereafter the N2/02-relations were determined by mass spectrometry. Most distributions of the oxygen anomaly show a negative oxygen balance which varies largely, probably due to strong mixing processes in the Iceland-Färö ridge area. The distribution of surface oxygen saturation values are of two different types. The values of the stations 260, 262 and 270 stem from mixed water and show homogeneous supersaturations, as can be found instantly when whitecaps appear. The values of 9 other stations are from water, sampled during calm periods which has been mixed and supersaturated before. They show a decreasing oxygen saturation towards the sea surface and often undersaturation in the upper decimeters up to 98% and even 91%. So at the air-sea interface even less initial oxygen saturation than 100% can be found after supersaturation during heavy weather periods.

Description: The following tables show physical and chemical data observed by the "Meteor" in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormus. This study was performed in accordance with the general programme of the International Indian Ocean Expedition (IIOE) during the period from March 25 th until April 16th, 1965. The water temperature was measured by reversing thermometers; in most cases two instruments were used simultaneously. The absolute mean temperature difference of this double measurement is 0.0153 °C. The salinity was determined both by salinometer and by titration. In this case the absolute mean difference amounts to 0.0174‰. The computations of the density, the specific volume anomaly, the dynamic depth anomaly, the sound velocity and the interpolation for standard depths were carried out by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), Washington.