Ocean Glider Physical Profile Data from the US/Canada East Coast

Spray glider profile data collected by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution along the US and Canada East Coast from July to September 2017. The dataset contains measurements of physical oceanographic properties such as temperature, salinity, conductivity, and density. Data were aggregated and preserved by NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information.

Use Cases

• Analyze vertical profiles of temperature and salinity to identify water masses and thermocline structure.
• Map the spatial and temporal distribution of seawater density (derived from conductivity, temperature, and pressure) along the glider's trajectory.
• Validate regional ocean circulation models by comparing model outputs to in-situ conductivity and temperature measurements.
• Study short-term oceanographic variability during the summer season using time-series data from the glider's sensors.

Strengths

• Data covers a specific 2-month deployment period from 2017-07-07 to 2017-09-12.
• Includes core physical oceanographic variables: temperature, salinity, conductivity, and density.
• Data underwent quality checks for file format compliance by the IOOS National Glider Data Assembly Center.

Limitations

• Exact row count and data resolution (e.g., depth intervals, sampling frequency) are unknown.
• Limited temporal scope to a single summer season, restricting analysis of long-term trends.
• Geographic coverage is specific to one glider track along the US/Canada East Coast.

Provenance

Source

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, via NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).

Collection Method

Collected by a Spray underwater glider (sp010) and aggregated by the Integrated Ocean Observing System's National Glider Data Assembly Center.

Time Range

2017-07-07 to 2017-09-12

Freshness

Data collection ended in September 2017; no update frequency specified.

Geography

East Coast of the United States and Canada.