260-meter container ship OOCL Panama (VRDU8) collects sea surface temperature data via a hull-contact sensor at 8 meters depth. Observed data are 1-minute median SST values retrieved hourly and quality controlled by the Bureau of Meteorology. Daily files are available after 0100 UTC.
Use Cases
- Model regional ocean heat content based on hourly SST measurements
- Analyze coastal temperature variability based on transects around Australian East and West coasts
- Validate satellite-derived SST products based on in-situ sensor data from a fixed-depth location
- Study shipping route environmental impacts based on regular vessel transects via Indonesian waters to Singapore
Strengths
- Data originates from a specific vessel with known dimensions (260 m length, 32 m beam, 12.6 m draught) and sensor location (bow thruster room at ~8 m depth)
- Quality control is performed by the Bureau of Meteorology
- Time resolution is high with 1-minute median values aggregated into hourly retrievals
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 the vessel's specific routes
Provenance
- Source
- Australian Ocean Data Network
- Collection Method
- SST data processed from hull-contact sensor SBE48 on the merchant vessel OOCL Panama, retrieved hourly.
- Freshness
- Last updated 2026-05-05 09:23:03.717925; freshness should be verified
- Geography
- Australian East and West coasts up to Singapore via Indonesian waters.