Oceanographic CTD Profiles from Amazon Shelf Sediment Study

Oceanographic profiles contain pressure, temperature, salinity, oxygen, fluorescence, and sediment concentration data. Measurements were collected from the R/V COLUMBUS ISELIN in the South Atlantic Ocean and North American Coastline-South during the Amazon Shelf Sediment Study (AMASSEDS) from May 23 to June 13, 1990. The dataset was submitted by Dr. Richard Limeburner of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and processed by NOAA NCEI.

Use Cases

• Analyzing vertical profiles of water column properties like temperature and salinity using CTD data.
• Studying suspended sediment concentrations and their relationship to optical backscatter and transmissometer readings.
• Investigating correlations between fluorescence (a proxy for chlorophyll) and other oceanographic parameters.
• Examining spatial and temporal patterns of particulate organic carbon and sediment load on the Amazon shelf.

Strengths

• Data collection used a Neil Brown MKIII CTD as the primary instrument, a standard for high-resolution oceanographic profiling.
• Includes specialized sensor data from a Sea Tech Fluorometer and Transmissometer for measuring fluorescence and sediment concentration.
• Covers a specific, focused 22-day research cruise, providing a coherent snapshot of the study area.

Limitations

• The exact column names, row count, and dataset size are unknown from all sources.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date: one lists 1990-06-13, another lists 2026-03-05, creating uncertainty about data currency.
• License information is not provided.

Provenance

Source

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, submitted by Dr. Richard Limeburner.

Collection Method

Collected via ship-based CTD casts with auxiliary sensors (Sea Tech Fluorometer, Transmissometer, optical backscatter sensor).

Time Range

1990-05-23 to 1990-06-13

Freshness

2026-03-05 23:16:44.458168

Geography

South Atlantic Ocean and North American Coastline-South, specifically the Amazon Shelf.