High-Resolution CTD/STD Ocean Profiles from RV Alpha Helix

High-resolution CTD/STD data from RV Alpha Helix was collected in the Gulf of Alaska and North Pacific Ocean from 1986-11-05 to 1986-11-14. The data, processed to the NODC F022 standard, likely contains nearly continuous profiles of temperature, salinity, density, and possibly dissolved oxygen or transmissivity at depth intervals as fine as 1 meter. Each station record includes cruise information, position, date, time, and may include environmental conditions from the time of the cast.

Use Cases

• Analyzing vertical stratification and water mass properties based on temperature and salinity profiles.
• Studying short-term oceanographic variability during the November 1986 cruise period.
• Calibrating or validating regional ocean models using in-situ conductivity-temperature-depth measurements.
• Investigating relationships between physical parameters (density, sigma-t) and other variables like dissolved oxygen.

Strengths

• Data is high-resolution, with profiles potentially reported at depth intervals as fine as 1 meter.
• Coverage includes a specific 10-day time range (1986-11-05 to 1986-11-14) in a defined geographic region.
• Data is processed to a recognized standard (NODC High-Resolution CTD/STD F022 format).

Limitations

• Key metadata is missing or conflicting: row count, file size, license, and specific column names are unknown across all sources.
• The dataset's age (1986) may limit its relevance for studying current oceanographic conditions.
• One platform (nasa_earthdata) provides no descriptive metadata, reducing overall documentation completeness.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Collected using CTD/STD instruments aboard the RV Alpha Helix and processed by NODC.

Time Range

1986-11-05 to 1986-11-14

Freshness

2026-03-05 23:14:31.108161

Geography

Gulf of Alaska and North Pacific Ocean, Coastal Waters of S. Alaska