Santa Barbara Channel Coastal Ocean Data 1983-1985

This dataset contains multi-instrument oceanographic measurements from the Santa Barbara Channel, collected by Science Application, Inc. for a specific project. It includes high-resolution CTD/STD profiles, current meter time series, pressure gauge, and wave spectra data from April 1983 to January 1985. The data were processed and archived by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) into standard formats.

Use Cases

• Analyzing vertical profiles of temperature, salinity, and density (sigma-t) from CTD casts to study water mass structure.
• Calculating current speed and direction from east-west (u) and north-south (v) vector component time series.
• Investigating wave climate and meteorological conditions concurrent with oceanographic sampling.
• Correlating pressure gauge data with tidal cycles or other sea level variations.

Strengths

• Data includes four complementary measurement types (CTD, current meter, pressure, wave spectra) for a multi-faceted view.
• CTD profiles offer high-resolution sampling, with data reported at depth intervals as fine as 1 meter.
• Covers a substantial time range of over 20 months (April 1983 to January 1985) for time-series analysis.
• Processed into standardized NODC formats (F022, F015, F017, F191), ensuring a defined structure.

Limitations

• Exact row counts, file sizes, and the complete column schema are not provided by any source.
• A conflict exists on the 'last updated' metadata: Data.gov reports 2026-03-05, while NASA Earthdata reports the collection end date of 1985-01 04.
• The dataset's license information is not specified in any source description.

Provenance

Source

Science Application, Inc. (SAI); processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC).

Collection Method

Collected from fixed and other platforms using CTD, STD, current meter, pressure gauge, and wave spectra instruments.

Time Range

1983-04-27 to 1985-01-04

Freshness

2026-03-05 22:56:12.493123

Geography

Coastal Waters of California, Santa Barbara Channel.