GMPO Project: Gulf of Mexico Currents and Water Properties, 1985-1986

Science Applications, INC collected this multi-instrument dataset during the Gulf of Mexico Physical Oceanography project. Data includes high-resolution CTD profiles at intervals as fine as 1 meter and current meter time series at 10-15 minute intervals, processed by the NODC into four standard formats. The dataset captures a 15-month period of detailed physical oceanographic conditions from fixed moorings and vertical casts.

Use Cases

• Analyzing time-series of ocean current vectors (u, v components) from moored meters to study circulation patterns.
• Creating high-resolution vertical profiles of temperature, salinity, and conductivity from CTD/STD casts.
• Calibrating regional oceanographic models with in-situ measurements of bathymetry, sensor depth, and bottom depth.
• Investigating seasonal variability in the Gulf of Mexico using data spanning over a year.

Strengths

• Data is processed to established NODC standard formats (F015, F022, C100, C116), ensuring interoperability.
• Provides concurrent measurements from multiple instrument types (current meters, CTD, XBT) over a 15-month time range from June 1985 to September 1986.
• Time-series data has high temporal resolution, with current values typically reported at 10-15 minute intervals.

Limitations

• Critical metadata is missing across all sources: row count, file size, specific column names, and license are unknown.
• The last updated date conflicts between platforms (2026-03-05 vs. 1986-09-03), casting doubt on metadata maintenance.
• Documentation is incomplete, as the provided descriptions are truncated mid-sentence.

Provenance

Source

Science Applications, INC - Raleigh NC, submitted as part of the Gulf of Mexico Physical Oceanography (GMPO) project.

Collection Method

Collected using moored current meter casts, CTD, STD, and bathythermograph (XBT) instruments; processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC).

Time Range

1985-06-11 to 1986-09-03

Freshness

2026-03-05 23:11:16.649260

Geography

Gulf of Mexico