An 8-year record of moored current and temperature measurements over the slope off Coquimbo, Chile, near 30°S, was compiled by the FONDAP-Humboldt programme and JGOFS. The dataset includes hydrographic data, sea level, and wind time-series from several locations along the west coast of South America, covering events like the 1997-1998 El Niño. Analysis was conducted by SCIOPS using linear and coastal trapped wave models to assess inter-annual and seasonal variability.
Use Cases
- Analyze inter-annual fluctuations in alongshore currents using time-series current records and regional wind stress data.
- Model coastal trapped wave propagation by forcing a linear model with observed equatorial signals and wind stress.
- Assess seasonal variability of circulation off the Mejillones Peninsula from hydrographic profiles and current-meter data collected in January and July 1997.
- Study the response of sea level along the west coast of South America to moderate and strong El Niño and La Niña events between 1991 and 1998.
- Compare current fluctuations between moorings located approximately 500km apart near 30°S and 34°45'S from 1992 to 1995.
Strengths
- Includes an 8-year continuous record of moored current and temperature data.
- Encompasses multiple El Niño and La Niña events from 1991 to 1998 for climate variability analysis.
- Provides data from multiple instrument types: current meters, hydrographic profiles, sea level, and wind time-series.
Limitations
- Specific row counts, column details, and file formats are not provided.
- Primary temporal coverage ends in the late 1990s, limiting analysis of recent climate patterns.
- Geographic focus is restricted to specific mooring sites off central Chile, not a broad regional survey.
Provenance
- Source
- NASA EarthData (platform), with data from the Joint Global Flux Study Project (JGOFS) and FONDAP-Humboldt programme.
- Collection Method
- Moored current meter deployments, hydrographic profiling, and collection of wind, sea-level, and atmospheric pressure time-series.
- Time Range
- 1991 to 1998, with specific mooring records from October 1992 to July 1995 and January/July 1997.
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- Shelf and slope off central Chile, specifically near Coquimbo (30°S) and a site near 34°45'S, and the Mejillones Peninsula.