ECCO V4r4: Daily Ocean Mixed Layer Depth on a 0.5-Degree Grid, 1992-2017

Daily-averaged ocean mixed layer depth interpolated to a regular 0.5-degree grid from the ECCO Version 4 revision 4 ocean and sea-ice state estimate. The dataset is a dynamically consistent reconstruction of the three-dimensional ocean state, fit to multiple satellite and in-situ observations. It covers the period from 1992-01-01 to 2018-01-01 and was produced by NASA.

Use Cases

• Modeling ocean heat uptake and carbon sequestration based on mixed layer depth variability.
• Analyzing seasonal and interannual climate cycles based on daily, global mixed layer depth data.
• Validating ocean general circulation models against a dynamically consistent state estimate.
• Studying air-sea interaction processes based on the reconstructed upper ocean state.

Strengths

• Integrates multiple observational constraints including satellite altimetry, sea surface temperature, salinity, and in-situ profiles.
• Provides a 26-year daily time series from 1992 to 2017, enabling long-term trend analysis.
• Data is on a regular 0.5-degree global grid, facilitating spatial analysis.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect temporal bias inherent to the availability of satellite observations starting in 1992.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Dynamically and kinematically-consistent reconstruction from a free-running MITgcm solution fit to observations in a least-squares sense.

Time Range

1992-01-01 to 2018-01-01

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 03:04:20.757500; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global ocean coverage on a 0.5-degree grid.