Great Lakes Glider Trajectory Data With Physical Oceanographic Measurements

Physical oceanographic measurements from a Slocum glider deployment in the Great Lakes. The dataset contains profiles of temperature, conductivity, salinity, and density. Data was gathered by the University of Minnesota Duluth's Large Lakes Observatory and archived by NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information in September 2016.

Use Cases

• Model thermal stratification in the Great Lakes using temperature and density profiles over the deployment period.
• Analyze spatial gradients in salinity and conductivity along the glider's underwater trajectory.
• Validate hydrodynamic models by comparing observed physical property time-series against simulated outputs.
• Study mixed layer depth evolution from high-resolution vertical profiles of temperature and density.

Strengths

• Data contains four core physical oceanographic variables: temperature, conductivity, salinity, and density.
• Collected via an autonomous glider platform, providing continuous spatial and temporal sampling over a two-week deployment.

Limitations

• Dataset is temporally limited to a single two-week deployment in September 2016.
• Geographic scope is restricted to the specific trajectory of the glider 'gichigami' within the Great Lakes.

Provenance

Source

University of Minnesota Duluth - Large Lakes Observatory, via NOAA NCEI.

Collection Method

Measurements gathered by a Slocum glider, processed and aggregated by the IOOS National Glider Data Assembly Center.

Time Range

2016-09-08 to 2016-09-21

Freshness

Static historical dataset from 2016.

Geography

Great Lakes, specific trajectory of glider 'gichigami'.