Ocean Glider Physical Profile Data from the Mid-Atlantic Bight

August 31 to September 22, 2017 trajectory data from the glider 'Blue' deployed by the University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth. The dataset contains physical oceanographic measurements like temperature, salinity, conductivity, density, chlorophyll, backscatter, CDOM, and oxygen. It was collected as part of the 'Investigation of Mid-Atlantic Cold Pool Dynamics' program and archived by NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information.

Use Cases

• Analyze temperature and salinity profiles to map the spatial extent and structure of the Mid-Atlantic Cold Pool.
• Correlate optical measurements of chlorophyll and backscatter with physical properties like density to study biological-physical interactions.
• Use the glider's trajectory and time-series data to model water mass movement and shelf circulation patterns.
• Validate satellite-derived sea surface temperature or ocean color products with in-situ conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) sensor data.

Strengths

• Data covers a specific 23-day mission with four transects through the target Cold Pool feature.
• Includes multiple concurrent sensor measurements (CTD, optical, oxygen) for each profile.

Limitations

• Single deployment dataset from one season, limiting analysis of temporal variability.
• Spatial coverage is restricted to a specific transit path in the northeastern Mid-Atlantic Bight.

Provenance

Source

University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth, via the Integrated Ocean Observing System's National Glider Data Assembly Center (IOOS NGDAC).

Collection Method

In-situ measurements collected by a Slocum glider equipped with a CTD and optical sensors, following a saw-tooth profiling trajectory.

Time Range

2017-08-31 to 2017-09-22

Freshness

Data collection ended in September 2017; it is a static archival snapshot.

Geography

Mid-Atlantic Bight, from west of Gay Head, Martha's Vineyard, MA, southward toward the OOI Pioneer Array and across the shelf to New Jersey.