Hydrographic Casts from the 1975 WISP Winter-Spring Experiment

Hydrographic casts from the WISP project provide CTD temperature and salinity observations for the Washington-Oregon continental shelf and slope. The dataset captures oceanographic conditions during the winter-spring transition from February to March 1975. It was collected by Dr. Barbara Hickey of the University of Washington with support from National Science Foundation Grant OCE 76-21508.

Use Cases

• Analyzing temperature and salinity profiles to quantify seasonal changes on the continental shelf.
• Mapping the spatial distribution of oceanographic features along the Washington-Oregon slope.
• Validating historical coastal circulation models using observed CTD data from a defined winter-spring period.
• Studying the nature of outer shelf and slope phenomena documented during the WISP experiment.

Strengths

• Data is focused on a specific, well-documented oceanographic experiment (WISP) with clear scientific goals.
• Observations cover a critical seasonal transition period (February-March 1975).
• Dataset is hosted on multiple authoritative platforms (Data.gov, NASA Earthdata), indicating recognized importance.

Limitations

• Core metadata such as row count, file size, column names, and license are unavailable across all sources.
• There is a significant conflict in last updated dates: Data.gov lists 2026-03 05 (likely a placeholder), while NASA Earthdata lists 1975-03-08.

Provenance

Source

Dr. Barbara Hickey, University of Washington; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Collection Method

CTD (Conductivity, Temperature, Depth) observations from hydrographic casts.

Time Range

Feb 1975 to Mar 1975

Freshness

1975-03-08 00:00:00

Geography

Washington-Oregon Continental Shelf and Slope.