Southern Ocean Glider Trajectory Profile Data from 2017

Hourly dive profiles from the RU24 underwater glider measured temperature, salinity, conductivity, and density in the Southern Ocean's Palmer Deep. The mission, deployed by Rutgers University's Center for Ocean Observing Leadership (RU COOL), collected data over a two-week period from January 17 to 30, 2017. Data was preserved by NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) after processing by the Integrated Ocean Observing System.

Use Cases

• Model phytoplankton population dynamics by correlating physical profile data (temperature, salinity, density) with photo-physiological response studies.
• Analyze water column structure over time by examining the hourly time-series of conductivity and temperature-depth profiles.
• Study winter warming effects on the West Antarctic Peninsula by using the glider's trajectory and sensor data as a localized time-series record.
• Validate regional ocean models by comparing simulated temperature and salinity fields against the in-situ glider measurements.
• Track glider mission performance and underwater vehicle behavior using the recorded dive profiles to 100 meters.

Strengths

• Data covers a focused two-week mission with hourly sampling, providing high temporal resolution.
• Measures multiple core physical oceanographic properties: temperature, salinity, conductivity, and density.
• Data underwent quality checks for file convention compliance by the IOOS National Glider Data Assembly Center.

Limitations

• Sample size is limited to a single glider deployment over 14 days, restricting spatial and temporal generalization.
• Column names and specific data formats are unknown, complicating initial analysis.
• Data is from 2017 and may not reflect current oceanographic conditions.

Provenance

Source

Rutgers University Center for Ocean Observing Leadership (RU COOL), submitted via IOOS National Glider Data Assembly Center to NOAA NCEI.

Collection Method

Collected via an underwater glider (RU24) performing hourly dives to 100 meters, with data transmitted and aggregated into netCDF files.

Time Range

2017-01 17 to 2017-01-30

Freshness

Static historical dataset; last updated 2017-01-30.

Geography

Southern Ocean, Palmer Deep, West Antarctic Peninsula.