2003 data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Centers for Environmental Information (NOAA NCEI) provides digitized internal wave packets. These features were extracted from Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery at a 1:350,000 scale. The dataset captures groups of waves occurring at density interfaces in the ocean, forced by tides over underwater topography.
Use Cases
- Analyze the spatial distribution and frequency of internal wave packets relative to known bathymetric features like banks and ledges.
- Study the relationship between tidal forcing and internal wave packet generation using the digitized wave locations and timestamps.
- Validate numerical ocean models by comparing simulated internal wave propagation against the observed packet locations and morphologies.
- Investigate wave dissipation patterns as packets approach shallow water (25-40m depth) using the digitized wave front geometries.
Strengths
- Data is derived from authoritative SAR imagery sources, providing a direct geospatial record of oceanic phenomena.
- Features are digitized at a consistent cartographic scale of 1:350,000 for spatial analysis.
Limitations
- Dataset is temporally stale, with a last update in 2003, limiting analysis of recent conditions or trends.
- Specific sample size (row count) and geographic extent beyond 'Massachusetts Bay' are unknown.
Provenance
- Source
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).
- Collection Method
- Internal wave packets were manually or semi-automatically digitized from Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite imagery.
- Time Range
- null
- Freshness
- Last updated 2003-09-29; no stated update frequency.
- Geography
- Massachusetts Bay, USA.