Agulhas Current CPIES Hydrographic and Acoustic Time-Series

NOAA's dataset contains acoustic roundtrip travel time, pressure, ocean velocity, and temperature recorded by CPIES instruments at five mooring locations. Measurements were collected as part of the Agulhas Current Time-series experiment in the Indian Ocean. The time series spans from April 13, 2010, to February 24, 2013.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the relationship between acoustic travel time and ocean temperature for water column structure studies.
• Calculating geostrophic velocity and transport of the Agulhas Current using pressure and velocity measurements.
• Investigating temporal variability in hydrostatic pressure and its connection to current strength and mesoscale eddies.
• Validating and assimilating in-situ ocean velocity and temperature data into regional ocean circulation models.
• Studying the acoustic properties of the ocean water column over a multi-year period at fixed mooring locations.

Strengths

• Provides a multi-year, continuous time-series from five fixed mooring locations, enabling temporal analysis.
• Records multiple synchronized physical variables: acoustic travel time, pressure, velocity, and temperature.
• Originates from a recognized experiment (ACT) conducted by NOAA, a leading oceanographic institution.

Limitations

• Specific row counts, file sizes, and the complete column schema are not provided by any source.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date, with one platform listing 2013 and another listing a future date of 2026.
• The data license and specific file formats are unknown, which may restrict certain uses.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Recorded by Current- and Pressure-recording Inverted Echo Sounders (CPIES) instruments at five mooring locations.

Time Range

2010-04-13 to 2013-02-24

Freshness

2013-02-24 00:00:00

Geography

Indian Ocean, specifically the Agulhas Current region.