Global Ocean Surface Drifter Temperature And Current Measurements

Satellite-tracked drifting buoys provide 6-hourly interpolated data on sea surface temperature and currents. The NOAA Drifter Data Assembly Center applies quality control and optimum interpolation to the raw buoy measurements. Data originates from the NOAA Global Drifter Program and is managed by the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory.

Use Cases

• Modeling ocean current velocity using the eastward and northward velocity columns.
• Analyzing sea surface temperature trends and anomalies across global drift tracks defined by latitude and longitude.
• Studying drifter lifespan and deployment success using metadata like drogue loss date, death code, and end location/time.
• Validating satellite-derived ocean data products by comparing with in-situ temperature and position measurements.
• Investigating manufacturer or drifter type performance based on associated metadata fields.

Strengths

• Data undergoes formal quality control procedures by the Drifter Data Assembly Center.
• Measurements are interpolated to a consistent 6-hour interval for temporal alignment.
• Includes error estimates for key variables like position, temperature, and velocity.

Limitations

• Specific sample size, temporal coverage, and geographic density are unknown from the description.
• Relies on buoy survivability, potentially creating spatial and temporal gaps after drogue loss or failure.

Provenance

Source

NOAA Global Drifter Program, assembled by the Drifter Data Assembly Center (DAC) at NOAA/AOML.

Collection Method

Data collected by satellite-tracked surface drifting buoys, with quality control and 6-hour optimum interpolation applied.

Geography

Global ocean surface coverage from drifting buoys.