Ocean Glider Trajectory Profile Data from Monterey Bay Deployment

Physical trajectory profile data from glider ru26d deployed by Rutgers University's Center for Ocean Observing Leadership (RU COOL) in the coastal waters of California. The dataset contains Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth (CTD) measurements from a deployment lasting approximately 3 months. Data were collected from 2019-09-05 to 2019-10-20 and archived by the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).

Use Cases

• Validate SWOT satellite SSH measurements by comparing in-situ dynamic height derived from glider CTD profiles.
• Analyze the steric component of sea surface height using simultaneous glider CTD data, GPS buoy SSH, and bottom-pressure recorder data.
• Study upper ocean physical properties (temperature, salinity, density) along a 300km transect west-southwest from Monterey Bay.
• Test glider station-keeping capability for providing quasi-synoptic observations within a predefined box over a 3-month deployment.

Strengths

• CTD measurements cover the upper 500 meters of the water column, relevant for dynamic height calculation.
• Data collection supports a specific calibration/validation objective for the SWOT satellite mission.
• Trajectory includes a 300km transect and station-keeping within a defined area, providing spatial context.

Limitations

• Exact row count, column details, and file size are unknown from the provided metadata.
• Temporal coverage is limited to a specific 1.5-month period within a single season (Fall 2019).
• Geographic coverage is focused on a specific region off the coast of California, limiting generalizability.

Provenance

Source

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey; Center for Ocean Observing Leadership (RU COOL), archived by NOAA NCEI.

Collection Method

In-situ measurements collected by an autonomous underwater glider (ru26d) equipped with CTD sensors.

Time Range

2019-09-05 to 2019-10-20

Freshness

null

Geography

Coastal waters of California, specifically Monterey Bay and a 300km transect west-southwest to a mooring site.