SOFS: Southern Ocean Surface Properties Hourly Time Series

Hourly averaged observations of sea surface properties from the Southern Ocean Flux Station mooring deployed since March 2010. The mooring, located approximately 350 nautical miles south-west of Tasmania, measures meteorological parameters, downwelling radiation, and sea water temperature and salinity. Data is delivered in near real-time to improve understanding of climate and carbon processes.

Use Cases

• Modeling heat transfer between atmosphere and ocean based on meteorological and temperature data.
• Analyzing carbon dioxide flux processes based on surface property measurements.
• Studying climate variability in the Sub-Antarctic Zone using long-term hourly time series.
• Calibrating satellite-derived ocean surface data with in-situ salinity and temperature observations.

Strengths

• Hourly averaged data delivered in near real-time.
• Long-term deployment since March 2010 provides a multi-year time series.
• Specific geographic location (approx. 350 nm SW of Tasmania) provides precise spatial context.

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 geographic bias inherent to a single mooring location.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Observations from the Southern Ocean Flux Station (SOFS) deep water mooring.

Time Range

Data collection ongoing since March 2010.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-06 03:24:37.527940; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Sub-Antarctic Zone, approximately 350 nautical miles south-west of Tasmania, at coordinates (46.7S, 142E).