DAFT eum, given are proportional to the acceleration a mass of water would have if it were displaced vertically a distance of one meter.The greatest stability in the entire area is just southwest of Bikini at depths of 75 to 125 meters. A spot just west of Eniwetok Atoll and another southwest of Taongi Atoll have nearly as great maximum stability values. The stability values appear nearly constant (2500 to 3000) over the areas of the main streams of Equatorial Current water. Shoaler on the south than on the north side cf the area studied, the depth of the 25 meter layer of highest stability varies from 50 to 100 meters to 15C to 175 meters. Its depth, at many places, is just belowthe top of the thermocline, but in other places, where temperature decreases with depth slowly at first, it is nearer the middle of the thermocline. In the latter case, radioactivity may be expected to reach this depth after some period of tine (probably within a few deys to a few weeks). Fig. 13 shows the average stability for the upper 250 meter layer. Time for penetration of dissclved radiosulivity to 250 meters depth is a function of this quantity. Smsll values at the northwest corner of the area reflect the decp thermocline theree In general, the magnitude of this average siebility increases from north to scuth. In the very deep water the stability remains positive, but it decreases slowly to very near zero (Fige 9). 3e5 . WATER MASSES IN THE AREA Oceanographers use characteristics of the water to define specific water types as the aerolozist does with the atmosphere. er Lik ze) \ ra The natural mixing cf a number of specific water types results ho ~ 3S