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

Mid-Atlantic Bight data contains physical oceanographic profiles collected by a Rutgers University glider from February 27 to March 13, 2019. The dataset includes measurements of temperature, salinity, conductivity, density, chlorophyll fluorescence, optical backscatter, and dissolved oxygen. It was preserved by NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information after processing by the IOOS National Glider Data Assembly Center.

Use Cases

• Analyze vertical profiles of temperature and salinity (CTD data) to identify water masses and stratification in the Mid-Atlantic Bight.
• Correlate chlorophyll fluorescence and optical backscatter measurements with physical properties to study phytoplankton dynamics.
• Model dissolved oxygen concentrations from Aanderaa Optode data against temperature and salinity to assess hypoxia.
• Map glider trajectory and depth profiles to visualize the three-dimensional structure of ocean properties during the deployment.
• Validate regional ocean models by comparing simulated temperature and salinity fields against this high-resolution observational dataset.

Strengths

• Data spans a continuous 15-day deployment in a defined coastal region.
• Includes multiple co-located sensor measurements (CTD, fluorescence, backscatter, dissolved oxygen) per profile.
• Processed and aggregated by a dedicated national data assembly center (IOOS NGDAC) for format compliance.

Limitations

• Dataset is limited to a single two-week period in early 2019, restricting analysis of seasonal or long-term trends.
• Geographic scope is confined to the glider's specific track within the Mid-Atlantic Bight.
• Unknown row count and sampling resolution limits precise assessment of data density.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

In-situ measurements from a Slocum Webb G2 glider equipped with CTD, fluorescence/backscatter, dissolved oxygen, and pH sensors.

Time Range

2019-02 27 to 2019-03-13

Freshness

Data collection ended on 2019-03-13; dataset is a preserved snapshot with no stated update frequency.

Geography

Mid-Atlantic Bight (Northwest Atlantic Ocean), along the glider RU30 deployment track.