ECCO V4r4: Monthly Ocean Mixed Layer Depth on LLC90 Grid, 1992-2017

ECCO Version 4 Release 4 provides monthly-averaged ocean mixed layer depth on the native Lat-Lon-Cap 90 (LLC90) model grid. This dynamically consistent state estimate from NASA covers the period from 1992-01-01 to 2018-01-01 and assimilates multiple observational constraints including satellite altimetry, sea surface temperature, and in-situ ocean profiles.

Use Cases

• Analyzing seasonal and interannual variability in ocean surface mixing based on monthly averaged mixed layer depth.
• Validating or initializing ocean general circulation models using a dynamically consistent state estimate.
• Studying climate-ocean interactions using a reconstruction that assimilates multiple satellite and in-situ observations.
• Investigating spatial patterns of ocean mixing processes on a global 1-degree model grid.

Strengths

• Assimilates a wide range of observational data, including satellite altimetry, sea surface temperature, salinity, and in-situ profiles.
• Covers a 26-year time period from 1992 to 2018, providing a long-term climate record.
• Provides data on a native high-resolution LLC90 model grid, preserving model structure.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data format includes non-standard types like BIN and ISO, which may require specialized tools to read.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Free-running solution of the MITgcm, fit to observations in a least-squares sense.

Time Range

1992-01-01 to 2018-01-01

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 02:56:30.391505; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global ocean