EPOCS Project Ocean Current Meter Data from 1985-1986

Current meter data were collected from moored instruments in the Southwest Pacific Ocean as part of the Equatorial Pacific Ocean Climate Studies (EPOCS) project. The dataset contains time series measurements of east-west (u) and north-south (v) current vector components, typically at 10-15 minute intervals, and may include water temperature, pressure, and salinity. Data were submitted by NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory and processed to the NODC standard F015 format.

Use Cases

• Analyzing equatorial current variability using the east-west (u) and north-south (v) vector components over time.
• Studying ocean temperature and salinity structure from the reported water temperature and conductivity/salinity data.
• Investigating mooring-specific oceanographic conditions using reported position, bottom depth, and sensor depth for each station.
• Validating or initializing regional ocean circulation models with in-situ current measurements from a fixed time period.

Strengths

• Data follows the standardized NODC F015 format, ensuring consistent structure and metadata.
• Provides high-temporal-resolution measurements, typically recorded at 10-15 minute intervals.
• Covers a specific, significant climate study period from late 1985 to mid-1986 in the equatorial Pacific.

Limitations

• Key technical details are unknown, including row count, column names, and file size.
• Conflicting last updated dates exist between platforms (2026-03-05 on Data.gov vs. 1986-06-01 on NASA Earthdata).
• License and author information are not provided by any source.

Provenance

Source

Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Collection Method

Moored current meter casts using the Eulerian method, with data processed by NODC to the F015 format.

Time Range

1985-09-29 to 1986-06-01

Freshness

2026-03-05 23:02:22.865905

Geography

Southwest Pacific Ocean, longitude limit 147°E to 140°W