Philippine Sea CTD Cast Profiles from RV Melville RIOP 08 Expedition

CTD (Conductivity, Temperature, Depth) cast data collected by the RV Melville research vessel during a 20-day intensive observation period in the Philippine Sea. The dataset was archived by NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) and contains physical oceanographic profiles from January 2008.

Use Cases

• Analyzing temperature-depth profiles to identify thermocline structure and ocean heat content.
• Calculating salinity from conductivity and temperature measurements to study freshwater influx.
• Correlating depth-pressure data with other oceanographic variables to understand vertical mixing processes.
• Mapping the spatial distribution of CTD cast locations to assess regional sampling coverage.
• Using time-series of cast data from the 20-day period to track short-term oceanic variability.

Strengths

• Data collected during a dedicated Regional Intensive Observation Period (RIOP) for focused study.
• Profiles sourced from a recognized research vessel (RV Melville) using standard oceanographic instrumentation.
• Temporal coverage is precisely defined over a 20-day period from 10 to 29 January 2008.

Limitations

• Dataset size and specific row count are unknown, limiting assessment of statistical power.
• Column names and data structure are unspecified, requiring investigation before analysis.
• Data is from a single, short campaign in 2008, offering a snapshot rather than long-term trends.

Provenance

Source

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).

Collection Method

CTD casts performed from the RV Melville research vessel.

Time Range

10 January 2008 to 29 January 2008.

Freshness

Data collection ended on 2008-01-29; the dataset is historical.

Geography

Philippine Sea.