Gulf of Alaska CTD Cast Data for GLOBEC Project 1999

CTD cast data from the R/V Alpha Helix in the Gulf of Alaska was collected by the University of Alaska Fairbanks Institute of Marine Science. The dataset includes measurements of temperature, salinity, pressure, photosynthetically active radiation, and oxygen concentrations. Data collection occurred from August 26 to December 7, 1999 in support of the Global Ocean Ecosystems Dynamics project.

Use Cases

• Analyze vertical profiles of temperature and salinity (sigma-t) to study water column stratification in the Gulf of Alaska.
• Correlate photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) measurements with other parameters to investigate light availability for phytoplankton.
• Use oxygen concentration and temperature data to assess water mass properties and biogeochemical conditions.
• Model seasonal changes from August to December using the time-series of pressure, temperature, and salinity records.

Strengths

• Data includes six key oceanographic parameters: temperature, salinity, sigma-t, pressure, PAR, and oxygen.
• Temporal coverage spans over three months during a critical seasonal transition period.

Limitations

• The dataset is from a single research cruise in 1999, limiting spatial and temporal generalizability.
• Specific row count, data resolution (depth intervals), and quality control flags are unknown.

Provenance

Source

University of Alaska - Fairbanks; Institute of Marine Science (UAK/IMS), archived by NOAA NCEI.

Collection Method

Collected from Conductivity, Temperature, Depth (CTD) casts from the R/V Alpha Helix.

Time Range

1999-08-26 to 1999-12-07

Freshness

Data is from 1999; no updates are expected.

Geography

Gulf of Alaska