High-Resolution Ocean CTD Profiles from RV Alpha Helix 1981

Nearly continuous oceanographic profiles from the RV Alpha Helix cruise across the Bering Sea, Chukchi Sea, Gulf of Alaska, and North Pacific Ocean. Data was processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center into the standard High-Resolution CTD/STD (F022) format. The collection period spans from July 23 to November 16, 1981.

Use Cases

• Analyzing vertical profiles of temperature and salinity to study water mass structure.
• Calculating density (sigma-t) from the recorded parameters to assess ocean stratification.
• Correlating environmental conditions like dissolved oxygen or transmissivity with station location and time.
• Examining cruise metadata and station information for historical research vessel track analysis.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a recognized standard (NODC F022 format) ensuring consistency.
• Provides high-resolution profiles with potential sampling intervals as fine as 1 meter.
• Covers a specific four-month cruise across multiple important oceanographic regions.

Limitations

• Exact row count, file size, and specific column names are not provided in the available metadata.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates exist between data.gov (2026) and NASA Earthdata (1981), creating uncertainty about metadata maintenance.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Collected using CTD (conductivity-temperature-depth) and STD (salinity-temperature-depth) instruments during a research cruise.

Time Range

1981-07-23 to 1981-11-16

Freshness

2026-04-01 15:28:16.020973

Geography

Bering Sea, Chukchi Sea, Gulf of Alaska, North Pacific Ocean