FIRE ASTEX SOFIA: Atlantic Ocean Wave and Flux Buoy Data

The eastern North Atlantic Ocean was the site of the ASTEX field experiment in June 1992. This dataset contains wave buoy measurements from the SOFIA program, designed to study energy transfer between the sea surface and the atmospheric boundary layer. The data were collected by French research institutions and aggregated by NASA.

Use Cases

• Validate satellite-derived estimates of ocean-atmosphere energy fluxes based on in-situ buoy measurements.
• Study the spatial inhomogeneity of heat, humidity, and momentum fluxes in the presence of mesoscale structures.
• Analyze wave spectrum characteristics (height, period) in the marine boundary layer during a stratocumulus cloud experiment.
• Improve physical process understanding for life cycles of marine stratocumulus cloud systems in climate models.

Strengths

• Data originates from a coordinated, multi-instrument field experiment (ASTEX) designed for model validation.
• Focuses on a specific, scientifically critical region and phenomenon (marine stratocumulus in the North Atlantic).
• Platform tags confirm the dataset includes specific measurements for wave period and wave height.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and data volume are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• File formats include legacy or specialized types (BIN, TAR, ISO) which may require specific tools to process.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), aggregating data from French research institutions (CRPE, LA, CMM, IFREMER, etc.).

Collection Method

Collected via a drogued wave buoy deployed during the ASTEX intensive field observation period.

Time Range

June 1992 (specifically the ASTEX IFO from June 1 to June 28, 1992).

Freshness

Last updated 2026 03 13 02:46:55.901915; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Eastern North Atlantic Ocean.