High-Resolution Ocean CTD/STD Profiles from the Bering and Chukchi Seas

USNS Thomas Washington collected nearly continuous vertical profiles of ocean properties in the Bering and Chukchi Seas during a cruise from October 2 to 19, 1988. Data processed to the NODC F022 standard includes temperature, salinity, density, and possibly dissolved oxygen or transmissivity, reported at depth intervals as fine as one meter. Each station record includes position, date, time, and may include meteorological and sea surface conditions.

Use Cases

• Analyzing water mass structure based on high-resolution temperature and salinity profiles.
• Studying seasonal or interannual variability in the Bering Sea using historical CTD data.
• Calibrating regional ocean models with in-situ conductivity-temperature-depth measurements.
• Investigating relationships between surface meteorological conditions and subsurface ocean properties.

Strengths

• High-resolution vertical profiles with sampling potentially as fine as 1 meter.
• Data processed to a standardized, documented format (NODC F022).
• Includes a specific 18-day cruise time range from October 2-19, 1988.

Limitations

• Key metadata like row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable across all sources.
• Data is over 35 years old, limiting analysis of recent oceanographic changes.
• Platform descriptions are duplicated, suggesting sparse original metadata.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Collected via CTD/STD instruments on USNS Thomas Washington and processed by NODC.

Time Range

1988-10-02 to 1988-10-19

Freshness

2026-03-05 22:43:38.749075

Geography

Bering Sea and Chukchi Sea