RV Alpha Helix CTD Profiles: Bering and Chukchi Seas

High-resolution CTD/STD data from RV Alpha Helix in the Bering Sea and Chukchi Sea from September 2 to 23, 1989. The dataset has been processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) to the standard High-Resolution CTD/STD (F022) format. It likely contains nearly continuous profiles of temperature, salinity, density, and possibly dissolved oxygen or transmissivity at specified depth or pressure intervals.

Use Cases

• Analyzing vertical profiles of temperature and salinity for oceanographic research.
• Studying water column density (sigma-t) to understand stratification and mixing.
• Investigating potential dissolved oxygen or transmissivity patterns in the Bering and Chukchi Seas.
• Correlating environmental conditions (meteorological and sea surface data) with oceanographic casts.

Strengths

• High-resolution data with depth intervals as fine as 1 meter.
• Standardized processing to the NODC F022 format ensures consistency.
• Specific temporal coverage from September 2 to 23, 1989.
• Cross-platform presence on datagov and NASA Earthdata indicates recognized importance.

Limitations

• Column names and exact row counts are unknown.
• Metadata completeness varies; license, author, and size information are missing.
• The last update date on datagov (2026-03-06) is administrative, while the data itself is from 1989.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Data collected using CTD (conductivity-temperature-depth) and STD (salinity-temperature-depth) instruments on RV Alpha Helix, processed by NODC.

Time Range

1989-09-02 to 1989-09-23

Freshness

2026-03-06 00:24:59.367255 (datagov administrative update)

Geography

Bering Sea and Chukchi Sea