GO-SHIP Ocean Current Profiles from Lowered Acoustic Doppler Instruments

Lowered Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (LADCP) data provides estimates of deep ocean absolute currents and shear, collected for the Global Ocean Ship-based Hydrographic Investigations Program (GO-SHIP). The dataset begins in 2015, with 1-2 research cruises per year revisiting World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) transect lines across major ocean basins. Data integration and assembly are managed by specialists at the University of Hawaii and Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.

Use Cases

• Analyzing vertical profiles of ocean current velocity using east/west (u) and north/south (v) component columns.
• Studying deep ocean shear and absolute current structure along historic WOCE transect lines.
• Integrating current measurements with concurrent Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) cast data for water mass analysis.
• Reprocessing raw acoustic backscatter data for advanced methodological studies.
• Validating and improving global ocean circulation and climate models with direct velocity observations.

Strengths

• Data collection follows a sustained, standardized program (GO-SHIP) with 1-2 cruises annually since 2015.
• Includes both science-ready (ASCII, NetCDF) and raw proprietary data formats, enabling reprocessing.
• Managed by authoritative institutions (University of Hawaii, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory) integrating international sources.
• Provides full water column velocity measurements, capturing small deep-water currents (few cm/s).

Limitations

• Exact row count, total size, and specific column details beyond example names (e.g., 'current speed - east/west component (u)') are not provided.
• A conflict exists in reported last update dates: Data.gov lists 2026-03-06, while NASA Earthdata lists 2019-05 14.
• License information is not specified across any platform.

Provenance

Source

Global Ocean Ship-based Hydrographic Investigations Program (GO-SHIP), assembled at University of Hawaii and Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University.

Collection Method

Data collected via LADCP instruments mounted on CTD rosette frames lowered from research vessels during hydrographic cruises.

Time Range

2015 onward

Freshness

2026-03-06 00:07:10.083659

Geography

Major ocean basins along historic World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) transect lines.