Ocean Glider Physical Profile Data from the Mid-Atlantic Bight in 2019

Mid-Atlantic Bight physical oceanographic data collected by a Rutgers University Slocum Webb G2 glider during a 19-day deployment in February 2019. The dataset contains sensor measurements from a Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) unit and other instruments. Data were aggregated and preserved by the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).

Use Cases

• Analyze temperature and salinity profiles from the CTD sensor to identify water masses and frontal structures in the Mid-Atlantic Bight.
• Model density variations derived from conductivity and temperature measurements to study stratification and mixing processes.
• Correlate glider trajectory data with chlorophyll fluorescence and optical backscatter measurements to assess phytoplankton distributions.
• Validate regional ocean circulation models by comparing model outputs with in-situ temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen observations.
• Study short-term temporal variability of physical properties over the 19-day deployment period using the high-resolution time-series.

Strengths

• Data from a 19-day continuous glider deployment provides high-resolution temporal coverage.
• Sensor suite includes multiple calibrated physical measurements (CTD, oxygen, optical backscatter) per profile.
• Data processed and checked for compliance with netCDF conventions by the National Glider Data Assembly Center (NGDAC).

Limitations

• Dataset is limited to a single glider deployment, restricting spatial and temporal generalizability.
• Unknown row count and specific data resolution prevent assessment of statistical power for some analyses.
• Data is from 2019, which may limit relevance for studying recent oceanographic conditions or climate impacts.

Provenance

Source

Rutgers University Center for Ocean Observing Leadership (RU COOL), via NOAA NCEI.

Collection Method

In-situ measurements collected by a Slocum Webb G2 glider equipped with a CTD and auxiliary sensors, aggregated by the IOOS National Glider Data Assembly Center.

Time Range

2019-02-01 to 2019-02-19

Freshness

Last updated 2019-02-19; static archival dataset.

Geography

Mid-Atlantic Bight region.