Great Lakes Glider Measurements of Temperature and Salinity from 2012

Physical oceanographic measurements from a Slocum glider deployment in the Great Lakes. The dataset contains profiles of temperature, conductivity, salinity, and density collected by the University of Minnesota Duluth's Large Lakes Observatory. Data was gathered during a single deployment from August 20 to August 29, 2012.

Use Cases

• Analyze vertical temperature profiles to identify thermocline depth and seasonal stratification patterns.
• Model salinity and density variations to study mixing processes and water mass distribution.
• Correlate conductivity measurements with temperature to assess instrument calibration or water chemistry.
• Map the spatial trajectory of the glider to visualize the sampling path and coverage of the deployment.

Strengths

• Data originates from a calibrated Slocum glider, a standard platform for autonomous oceanographic observation.
• Measurements cover a defined 10-day period, providing a continuous time-series for the deployment.
• Dataset includes core physical properties (temperature, salinity, conductivity, density) for water column analysis.

Limitations

• Limited temporal scope from a single, short deployment in August 2012, not representative of annual cycles.
• Geographic coverage is restricted to the specific track of the 'gichigami' glider within the Great Lakes.
• Unknown sample size and vertical resolution of profiles, limiting statistical power for some analyses.

Provenance

Source

University of Minnesota Duluth - Large Lakes Observatory (LLO), funded by GLOS, archived by NOAA NCEI.

Collection Method

Autonomous measurements collected by a Slocum glider, processed and aggregated by the IOOS National Glider Data Assembly Center.

Time Range

2012-08 20 to 2012-08-29

Freshness

Static historical dataset; last updated 2012-08-29.

Geography

Great Lakes (specific trajectory of glider 'gichigami').