Iron Yandi Merchant Vessel Sea Surface Temperature Observations

Hourly Sea Surface Temperature data collected via a hull contact sensor on the merchant vessel Iron Yandi. The Bureau of Meteorology quality controls the instantaneous measurements, which are available in daily files shortly after 0000 UTC. Sensor depth varies from 1 to 10 meters depending on vessel loading.

Use Cases

• Validate and calibrate satellite-derived sea surface temperature models based on in-situ hourly measurements.
• Study diurnal and seasonal SST cycles in shipping routes based on the time-series data.
• Assess the impact of vessel loading on near-surface temperature readings based on the variable sensor depth.
• Integrate with meteorological data from the ship's AWS for coupled ocean-atmosphere studies.

Strengths

• Data undergoes quality control by the Bureau of Meteorology.
• Hourly instantaneous measurements provide fine temporal resolution.
• Sensor installation in the engine compartment and variable depth (1-10m) offer unique subsurface perspective.

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 and temporal bias inherent to the single vessel's route.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Underway observations collected via SBE48 hull contact sensor installed in the engine compartment.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-29 02:15:48.229245; freshness should be verified.