Southwest Atlantic Acoustic Travel Time and Bottom Pressure Data (2011-2016)

July 2011 to October 2016 of round-trip acoustic travel time and ambient bottom pressure data collected by bottom-mounted instruments along 34.5°S in the Southwest Atlantic east of Uruguay. The dataset was produced by the NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory for the Southwest Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (SAM) project. Both processed, quality-controlled files and raw data files are available.

Use Cases

• Analyzing changes in acoustic travel time to infer variations in ocean temperature and current structure.
• Monitoring ambient bottom pressure for studies of deep-ocean pressure gradients and geostrophic flow.
• Investigating the strength and variability of the Southwest Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (SAM).
• Calibrating and validating ocean circulation models with in-situ acoustic and pressure observations.
• Studying long-term oceanic trends over a five-year period in a key region of the South Atlantic.

Strengths

• Data covers a multi-year time series from July 2011 to October 2016, enabling analysis of temporal variability.
• Includes both processed/quality-controlled data and raw data files, allowing for transparency and custom analysis.
• Collected by NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, a recognized authority in oceanographic data.

Limitations

• Specific column names, row counts, and dataset size are not provided by any source, limiting precise technical assessment.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates exist between sources (2016-10-29 and 2026-03-05), creating uncertainty about data currency.
• License information is not specified across all platforms, which may restrict certain uses.

Provenance

Source

NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML).

Collection Method

Collected by bottom-mounted inverted echo sounder instruments deployed zonally along 34.5°S.

Time Range

2011-07-07 to 2016-10-29

Freshness

2026-03-05 23:10:31.742861

Geography

Southwest Atlantic Ocean, east of Uruguay along latitude 34.5°S.