F015 Current Meter Components: Eulerian Ocean Currents Offshore North Carolina

Current meter components data were collected from fixed platforms in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean west of 40°W starting on 19 February 1992. The dataset, processed to the NODC F015 standard format, contains time series measurements of east-west (u) and north-south (v) current vector components, typically at 10-15 minute intervals. It also likely contains supporting data such as water temperature, pressure, and salinity from sensor moorings deployed for the Physical Oceanography Field Program Offshore North Carolina.

Use Cases

• Analyzing coastal current patterns and variability based on high-frequency time-series measurements.
• Validating or calibrating hydrodynamic models using in-situ Eulerian current data.
• Studying the relationship between ocean currents and ancillary parameters like temperature and salinity.
• Investigating water mass transport and energy fluxes in the Northwest Atlantic region.

Strengths

• Data adheres to a well-documented, standard NODC format (F015) for interoperability.
• Provides high-temporal-resolution measurements, reported at intervals of 10-15 minutes.
• Includes precise geographic and deployment metadata such as position, bottom depth, and sensor depth for each station.

Limitations

• Key metadata conflicts: one source lists a last update in 2026, while another indicates data from 1994, creating uncertainty about data currency.
• Specific data volume (row count) and column details are unknown across all sources.
• License information is not provided, which may restrict reuse.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Collected from current meter moorings (fixed platforms) using the Eulerian method of measurement.

Time Range

1992-02-19 onward

Freshness

2026-03-06 00:14:25.426683

Geography

Northwest Atlantic Ocean, west of 40°W, offshore North Carolina.