New York Bight Ocean Current Measurements from Fixed Platforms

Current meter data from fixed platforms were collected for the MESA New York Bight project from November 30, 1976, to April 25, 1977. The National Ocean Service gathered the data, which was processed by NODC into the standard F005 format for current meter resultants. Measurements include current direction and speed at regular intervals, along with other environmental parameters.

Use Cases

• Analyzing temporal patterns of current direction and speed at specified date and time to understand tidal and seasonal flow dynamics.
• Correlating water temperature and salinity measurements with current data to study density-driven circulation.
• Investigating relationships between reported wind direction/speed and surface current patterns.
• Using sensor depth and water depth data to profile vertical current structure at fixed mooring points.

Strengths

• Data collected over a continuous 5-month period from November 1976 to April 1977.
• Records follow the standardized NODC F005 format with documented specifications.
• Includes multiple environmental parameters beyond currents, such as temperature, salinity, and wind.

Limitations

• Temporal coverage is limited to a single winter-spring season, missing full annual cycles.
• Data is from fixed platforms only, limiting spatial coverage to specific mooring points.
• Data values may be subject to averaging or filtering, and original instrument precision is unspecified.

Provenance

Source

NOAA National Ocean Service (NOS) and National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC).

Collection Method

Eulerian current measurements from moored instruments, principally Aanderaa current meters, at fixed points.

Time Range

1976-11-30 to 1977-04-25

Freshness

null

Geography

New York Bight region, specific fixed platform locations not detailed.