IWEX: Ocean Current Meter Components from Fixed Platforms

From November 3 to December 1, 1973, this dataset contains time-series measurements of ocean currents collected from fixed platforms as part of the Internal Wave Experiment (IWEX). Processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) into the F015 standard format, it likely includes east-west (u) and north-south (v) current vector components, sensor depth, and water temperature. The data represent Eulerian current measurements, recording flow past sensors at fixed mooring points.

Use Cases

• Analyzing internal wave dynamics based on high-frequency current measurements.
• Studying ocean current vector fields using the reported east-west (u) and north-south (v) components.
• Calibrating or validating oceanographic models with fixed-point Eulerian measurement data.
• Investigating relationships between water temperature, pressure, and current flow from concurrent sensor readings.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a documented, standard format (NODC F015), aiding interoperability.
• Provides high-temporal-resolution measurements, typically reported at 10-15 minute intervals.
• Collected by a reputable institution (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) for a specific experiment (IWEX).

Limitations

• Key metadata is missing: column names, row count, file size, and license are unknown.
• Sources conflict on the last update date (1973 vs. 2026), casting doubt on metadata maintenance.
• The dataset is limited to a single, one-month period from 1973, offering a narrow temporal snapshot.

Provenance

Source

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI)

Collection Method

Collected from current meter moorings on fixed platforms using the Eulerian measurement method.

Time Range

1973-11-03 to 1973-12-01

Freshness

2026-04-01 15:03:02.980409

Geography

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