Southern California Bight current meter deployments collected data on water depths, current directions, horizontal and vertical velocities, and temperatures. Measurements were taken in the basin, sill, and shelf/transition zones from October 1985 to October 1988. The dataset was collected and archived by NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).
Use Cases
- Analyze temporal patterns in current_direction and horizontal_velocity to characterize seasonal flow regimes.
- Model vertical_velocity profiles against water_depth to understand upwelling and downwelling processes.
- Correlate temperature readings with current_speed data to study heat transport in the coastal zone.
- Validate numerical ocean models using observed current_meter data from the basin, sill, and shelf locations.
Strengths
- Three-year continuous temporal coverage from 1985 to 1988.
- Multi-variable measurements including direction, velocity, depth, and temperature.
- Spatial coverage across distinct oceanographic zones: basin, sill, and shelf/transition.
Limitations
- Data is over 35 years old, limiting applicability to present-day climate conditions.
- Specific sample size (row count) and measurement frequency are unknown.
- Geographic scope is limited to the Southern California Bight, not representative of other regions.
Provenance
- Source
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).
- Collection Method
- Data collected from in-situ current meter deployments.
- Time Range
- 1985-10-10 to 1988-10-05.
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- Southern California Bight (basin, sill, and shelf/transition zones).