Japan/East Sea PALACE float study at the University of Washington. 

This project is designed to examine the formation and circulation of water masses in the Japan/East
Sea, using the technique of profiling ALACE (PALACE) drifters. Components for these
instruments are purchased from Webb Research, Inc., of Falmouth, MA, USA, and final assembly,
calibration, and ballasting operations are carried out at the University of Washington in Seattle. In
all, approximately 40 PALACEs will be deployed as part of this project. Deployments will begin
during the summer of 1999. All deployments will be carried out during an expedition of the research
vessel "Akademik Khromov", based at the Far East Regional Hydrometeorological Research
Institute in Vladivostok. The deployments will be carried out exclusively by Russian scientists
during this expedition. 

Our goal here is to provide nearly real-time information on PALACE drifters that will be launched
in the region. Trajectories and profiles appear here as soon the data are received from the ARGOS
system, normally within a day of data collection. Using this web page it is possible to view
individual trajectories as well as temperature and salinity profiles along those trajectories, and to see
a spaghetti plot of all trajectories. In addition, by clicking a mouse in any figure, it is possible to
download a postscript file of the figure. As time goes on, new features will be added.