SPURS-1: Argo Float CTD Profiles from the North Atlantic Salinity Study

The SPURS-1 project deployed approximately 24 Argo floats in a 900 x 800-mile region of the subtropical North Atlantic centered at 25N, 38W during 2012-2013. These autonomous floats collected high-quality conductivity, temperature, and salinity depth profiles from the upper 2000 meters on 10-day cycles. The dataset, organized per float, is provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Use Cases

• Modeling near-surface salinity variations based on high-quality in-situ profile data.
• Analyzing the spatio-temporal structure of ocean temperature and salinity within a defined study area.
• Validating satellite-derived salinity fields from Aquarius/SAC-D and SMOS missions using in-situ observations.
• Studying processes in high-salinity, high-evaporation ocean regions based on the campaign's focus.

Strengths

• Data collected by approximately 24 Argo floats, part of a global autonomous network.
• High-quality temperature, conductivity, and salinity profiles from the upper 2000 meters.
• Focus on a defined 900 x 800-mile study area in the subtropical North Atlantic.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data accessible here only include standard ARGO profiles, not the additional surface sensor or acoustic rain gauge data mentioned.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Collected by autonomous Argo floats deployed during the SPURS-1 field campaign.

Time Range

2012 - 2013

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 10:16:32.196209; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Subtropical North Atlantic, within a 900 x 800-mile square centered at 25N, 38W.