Gulf of Mexico Current and Wave Spectra Measurements from 1977-1978

Moored current meter casts collected current direction, speed, temperature, and wind wave spectra data in the Gulf of Mexico. Data submission was made by Texas A&M University for the Brine Disposal project. Measurements were recorded from December 22, 1977 to October 31, 1978.

Use Cases

• Analyze temporal patterns of current direction and speed at specified date and time intervals.
• Correlate water temperature with current speed and direction measurements.
• Model wave energy using reported dominant wave direction, height, and period parameters.
• Study meteorological influences by examining reported wind direction and speed data.
• Validate hydrodynamic models using position, water depth, and sensor depth station metadata.

Strengths

• Data processed to standardized NODC F005 and F191 formats with documented specifications.
• Time series measurements reported at 10-15 minute intervals for detailed temporal resolution.
• Includes multiple environmental parameters like salinity, conductivity, and transmissivity beyond core currents.

Limitations

• Data is from a single year (1977-1978) and may not represent long-term trends.
• Specific row count, column count, and sample size are unknown.
• Data format details are complex, with records sorted by station and type requiring parsing.

Provenance

Source

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).

Collection Method

Moored current-measuring instruments, principally Aanderaa current meters, deployed at fixed points.

Time Range

1977-12-22 to 1978-10-31.

Freshness

null

Geography

Gulf of Mexico.