Whatever the particular circumstances of individual floats
may be, it is fair to assume that any change of water properties
observed at the depth of AAIW is due to the fact that the
float encountered different parcels of AAIW after every ascent
and dive cycle. This allows us to study the spatial structure
of AAIW in some detail. AAIW is particularly suited
to such a study because it is associated with a distinct salinity
minimum. If the ocean is dominated by smooth diffusive
flow, any change in the salinity minimum observed by the
floats should be slow and uniform, from lower salinity values
closer to the AAIW formation region to higher values
further afield. If, on the other hand, the flow is turbulent
and AAIW is interspersed with fronts and eddies, variations
of the AAIW salinity minimum will show more random behaviour.