High-Resolution CTD/STD Ocean Profiles from R/V Melville Cruise

Oceanographic profiles contain high-resolution conductivity, temperature, and depth data collected during a 1981 R/V Melville research cruise in the South Atlantic and Southern Oceans. Data is processed to the NODC standard F022 format, providing nearly continuous measurements at depth intervals as fine as one meter. The dataset is managed and distributed by NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information.

Use Cases

• Analyzing vertical profiles of temperature and salinity to study water mass distribution.
• Calculating density (sigma-t) from the provided temperature, salinity, and pressure data for stability analysis.
• Correlating oceanographic cast data with reported meteorological and sea surface conditions.
• Using station position, date, and time metadata to map the spatial and temporal coverage of the cruise.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a standardized format (NODC F022), ensuring consistency and interoperability.
• Provides high-resolution profiles with sampling intervals as fine as 1 meter in the water column.
• Includes ancillary station metadata such as cruise information, position, time, and environmental conditions.

Limitations

• Specific column names, row counts, and file size are not provided by any source.
• Sources conflict on the 'last updated' date, with one listing 2026-04-01 and another 1981-03-04.
• The presence of parameters like dissolved oxygen or transmissivity is noted as 'possibly' included, indicating potential inconsistency.

Provenance

Source

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), collected from R/V Melville.

Collection Method

Data gathered using CTD (Conductivity-Temperature-Depth) and STD (Salinity-Temperature-Depth) instruments during oceanographic casts.

Time Range

1981-01 24 to 1981-03-04

Freshness

2026-04-01 15:20:47.740275

Geography

South Atlantic Ocean and Southern Ocean.