Bering Sea Oceanographic and Meteorological Measurements from Autonomous Saildrones

Two experimental missions from April 2015 to September 2016 collected near-surface environmental data in the Bering Sea using autonomous Saildrone vehicles. The dataset includes over 20 variables such as water temperature, salinity, chlorophyll-a, ocean currents, wind speed, air temperature, and pressure, recorded by instruments like thermosalinographs, ADCPs, and fluorometers. These experimental data were collected by NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory and Saildrone LLC under a CRADA to assess the platform's viability.

Use Cases

• Analyzing seasonal changes in sea surface temperature and salinity during Arctic ice retreat.
• Correlating chlorophyll-a and CDOM measurements with fish biomass data for ecosystem studies.
• Validating satellite-derived oceanographic data with in-situ measurements from autonomous vehicles.
• Modeling air-sea interactions using concurrent atmospheric (wind, humidity) and oceanic (currents, temperature) data.

Strengths

• Covers two distinct field campaigns over multiple months in 2015 and 2016.
• Includes a wide array of sensor data from thermosalinographs, ADCPs, fluorometers, and meteorological probes.
• Data is hosted on multiple authoritative platforms (NASA Earthdata, Data.gov), indicating recognized importance.

Limitations

• The data are explicitly experimental and have not been quality controlled, with known offsets in sea surface salinity.
• Specific row counts, file sizes, and a complete column list are unavailable across all sources.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates exist between platforms (2016-09-03 vs. 2026-03-05).

Provenance

Source

NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory and Saildrone LLC under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA).

Collection Method

In-situ measurements collected from autonomous surface vehicles Saildrone 126 and 128.

Time Range

2015-04-26 to 2016-09-03

Freshness

2026-03-05 23:23:35.129231

Geography

Bering Sea, sailing from Dutch Harbor to Nome.