New York Bight Current Meter Data from 1978

NOAA's National Ocean Service collected ocean current direction and speed data from fixed platforms in the New York Bight area. The dataset covers a three-month period from July to October 1978 and was processed into the NODC F005 standard format. Measurements represent Eulerian current flow at specified sensor depths.

Use Cases

• Analyzing temporal patterns of current direction and speed at 10-15 minute intervals to characterize tidal and sub-tidal flow.
• Correlating water temperature and salinity data with current measurements to study density-driven circulation.
• Using reported wind direction and speed to investigate wind-forcing effects on surface currents.
• Examining wave direction, height, and period data alongside current records for coastal process studies.
• Leveraging station metadata like position, water depth, and sensor depth for vertical current profile analysis.

Strengths

• Data collected using standardized Aanderaa current meters following the Eulerian measurement method.
• Processed to the documented NODC F005 standard format with a publicly available description.
• Includes multiple environmental parameters beyond currents, such as temperature, salinity, and wind.

Limitations

• Temporal coverage is limited to a single 3-month period in 1978, providing only a seasonal snapshot.
• The specific number of stations, rows, and measurement intervals is unknown from the description.
• Data is over 45 years old, which may limit relevance for contemporary climate or coastal change studies.

Provenance

Source

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Accession 7900246.

Collection Method

Data collected from fixed platforms using moored current-measuring instruments, principally Aanderaa current meters.

Time Range

1978-07-25 to 1978-10 16

Freshness

null

Geography

New York Bight area, from fixed platforms.