NOAA Okeanos Explorer Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico Oceanographic Survey 2017

Hourly sensor data was transmitted via satellite during a 2017 transit from Panama to Florida. The dataset captures navigation, meteorological, and oceanographic conditions from the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information compiled the data from the EX1710 expedition aboard the Okeanos Explorer.

Use Cases

• Correlate thermosalinograph and bathythermograph data to map water mass properties and salinity gradients.
• Analyze Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) readings for current velocity profiles and ocean circulation patterns.
• Model sound velocity probe data against bathythermograph readings for underwater acoustic propagation studies.
• Combine navigation data with meteorological sensor readings (wind, air temperature, pressure) to study air-sea interactions.
• Use shipboard camera and sonar screen video streams for ground-truthing seafloor mapping data from the Gulf of Mexico.

Strengths

• Data includes real-time hourly transfers via high-bandwidth satellite link.
• Covers multiple operational areas: Panama Canal, Caribbean Sea, Seaflower MPA, and Gulf of Mexico.
• Integrates multiple sensor types: navigation, meteorological, and oceanographic.

Limitations

• Specific row counts, column details, and file sizes are unknown.
• Temporal coverage is limited to a single 8-day expedition in November 2017.
• Geographic coverage is a transit corridor, not a fixed study area.

Provenance

Source

NOAA_NCEI (National Centers for Environmental Information).

Collection Method

Collected from shipboard sensors on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer during the EX1710 expedition.

Time Range

2017-11-15 to 2017-11-22.

Freshness

Data collection ended on 2017-11-22; no update frequency specified.

Geography

Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, from Balboa, Panama to Key West, Florida.