High-Resolution CTD Profiles from the Bering and Chukchi Seas, 1993

CTD profiles provide high-resolution measurements of temperature, salinity, density, and other parameters from the Bering and Chukchi Seas. Data was collected from the R/V Alpha Helix during the Aleutian Birds HX-172 cruise funded by the NSF Division of Polar Programs, spanning July 9 to August 7, 1993. The dataset was processed by Dr. Chirk Chu of the University of Alaska's Institute of Marine Science and submitted to the National Oceanographic Data Center.

Use Cases

• Analyzing vertical profiles of temperature and salinity to study water mass structure in the Bering and Chukchi Seas.
• Calculating density (sigma-t) from CTD measurements to investigate ocean stratification and mixing processes.
• Correlating station position, date, and time data with meteorological observations to study air-sea interactions.
• Using high-resolution depth intervals (as fine as 1 meter) to examine fine-scale features like thermoclines and haloclines.

Strengths

• Data provides nearly continuous high-resolution profiles with depth intervals as fine as 1 meter.
• Cruise includes detailed metadata per station: instrument information, position, date, time, and sampling interval.
• Coverage spans a specific, documented research cruise (HX-172) over a one-month period in a key Arctic region.

Limitations

• Specific column names, row counts, and file sizes are not provided by any source.
• Sources conflict on the 'last updated' date: one platform lists 2026-03-06 (likely a metadata refresh), while another lists the collection end date of 1993-08-07.
• The license and precise data format (beyond NODC F022) are unknown.

Provenance

Source

Dr. Chirk Chu, Institute of Marine Science, University of Alaska, Fairbanks.

Collection Method

Collected via shipboard high-resolution Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) instruments lowered and raised through the water column.

Time Range

1993-07-09 to 1993-08-07

Freshness

2026-03-06 00:13:50.548963

Geography

Bering Sea, Chukchi Sea