Great Lakes Glider Trajectory Data with Temperature and Salinity Profiles

Physical oceanographic measurements collected by a Slocum glider deployed in the Great Lakes from August 13 to August 26, 2013. The dataset includes profiles of temperature, conductivity, salinity, and density. Data were gathered by the University of Minnesota Duluth's Large Lakes Observatory and archived by NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information.

Use Cases

• Model thermal stratification and mixing dynamics using the temperature and density profiles.
• Analyze spatial salinity gradients from conductivity measurements across the glider's trajectory.
• Validate regional hydrodynamic models by comparing observed and simulated temperature and salinity time-series.
• Study short-term episodic events, like upwelling, using the high-resolution vertical profiles collected over the two-week deployment.

Strengths

• Continuous time-series data collected over a 14-day deployment period.
• Includes four core physical oceanographic variables: temperature, conductivity, salinity, and density.

Limitations

• Dataset is from a single, short deployment in 2013, limiting analysis of long-term trends.
• Spatial coverage is restricted to the specific trajectory of one glider in the Great Lakes.
• Lacks metadata on sensor accuracy, calibration, or data quality flags.

Provenance

Source

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) via the IOOS National Glider Data Assembly Center.

Collection Method

In-situ measurements collected by an autonomous Slocum glider deployed by University of Minnesota Duluth - Large Lakes Observatory.

Time Range

2013-08 13 to 2013-08-26

Freshness

Static historical dataset; last updated 2013-08-26.

Geography

Great Lakes (specifically Lake Superior, based on glider name 'gichigami').