NOAA Marine Buoy Database: Meteorological and Oceanographic Data 1970-1995

Marine meteorological, oceanographic, and wave spectra data from moored buoys and C-MAN stations across the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Ocean, Great Lakes, and Pacific Ocean. The dataset is stored in the NODC Standard Format F291 and contains data from February 1970 through July 1992, with annual updates for 1993-1995. It was collected by the NOAA National Data Buoy Center.

Use Cases

• Modeling sea surface temperature trends based on buoy-reported measurements
• Analyzing wind patterns and gusts for coastal weather forecasting based on meteorological parameters
• Studying wave height and period dynamics for ocean engineering based on wave data
• Investigating directional wave energy distribution based on spectral data reported since the late 1980s

Strengths

• Data spans over 25 years, from February 1970 through 1995
• Covers multiple ocean areas including the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic, Pacific, and the Great Lakes
• Includes both moored buoy and coastal C-MAN station data, providing offshore and nearshore perspectives

Limitations

• Data is stored on a 22-disc CD-ROM set in a legacy format (NODC F291), which may require specialized tools for access
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download
• Row count and file formats are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Data collected by moored buoys and Coastal-Marine Automated Network (C-MAN) stations operated by the NOAA National Data Buoy Center.

Time Range

1970-1995

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-05 23:23:18.217043; freshness should be verified

Geography

Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Ocean, Great Lakes, central/western Pacific Ocean, North Pacific Ocean above 50N, eastern Pacific Ocean