The Merchant Vessel Stadacona, a 183-meter bulk carrier, collects sea surface temperature data around Australia's southern and eastern coasts. Bulk SST is measured by an SBE48 hull contact sensor installed in the engine compartment, with data collected every 3 hours. The Bureau of Meteorology quality controls the data, and daily files are available from the Australian Ocean Data Network.
Use Cases
- Modeling coastal sea surface temperature variability based on hull contact sensor measurements.
- Analyzing the relationship between vessel loading and sensor depth based on the described 2-7 meter depth variation.
- Studying the quality control processes of ship-collected meteorological data based on Bureau of Meteorology involvement.
- Tracking vessel-based data collection frequency based on the described 3-hour sampling interval.
Strengths
- Data is quality controlled by the Bureau of Meteorology.
- Sensor depth is documented and varies from 2 to 7 meters depending on vessel loading.
- SST and meteorological data are collected every 3 hours, providing regular sampling.
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 operational routes around Australia.
Provenance
- Source
- Australian Ocean Data Network
- Collection Method
- Measured by SBE48 hull contact sensor on the Merchant Vessel Stadacona.
- Freshness
- Last updated 2026-05-06 02:42:47.424895; freshness should be verified.
- Geography
- Southern (SA, VIC) and eastern coasts of Australia (NSW, QLD), sometimes extending to New Caledonia.