High-Resolution CTD Data from NOAA Ship Rainier 1993

F022 high-resolution CTD data provides near-continuous vertical profiles of temperature, salinity, and density from the NE Pacific Ocean. The dataset was collected by NOAA Ship Rainier over a 4-month cruise from March to July 1993 and submitted by the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory. It includes measurements at depth intervals as fine as 1 meter, along with station metadata and environmental conditions.

Use Cases

• Analyzing vertical temperature and salinity gradients to study water mass structure.
• Calculating density (sigma-t) profiles to assess ocean stability and mixing processes.
• Correlating dissolved oxygen or transmissivity measurements with biological activity.
• Using station position, date, and time data to map spatial and temporal oceanographic patterns.
• Investigating relationships between in-situ CTD data and concurrent surface meteorological conditions.

Strengths

• Provides high-resolution profiles with data points potentially as fine as 1-meter depth intervals.
• Covers a specific 4-month temporal range from March 23 to July 31, 1993, during a dedicated NOAA cruise.
• Includes multiple parameters: temperature, salinity, density, and possibly dissolved oxygen or transmissivity.
• Contains associated metadata for each station including cruise information, position, date, and time.

Limitations

• Exact row count, file size, and complete column list are unknown across all platforms.
• Data license and specific author details are not provided in the available metadata.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates exist: Data.gov reports 2026-04-01, while NASA Earthdata reports 1993-07 31.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce, Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory

Collection Method

Collected using high-resolution Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) instruments lowered from NOAA Ship Rainier.

Time Range

1993-03-23 to 1993-07-31

Freshness

2026-04-01 15:27:28.192472

Geography

NE Pacific (limit-180), specifically the coastal waters of Southeast Alaska, British Columbia, and the Gulf of Alaska.