Glider Trajectory Data for Gulf of Mexico Water Quality

Physical oceanographic measurements collected by the Stommel glider across the Texas shelf in the Gulf of Mexico. The dataset includes properties like temperature, salinity, conductivity, and density. Data were gathered by Texas A&M University's Geochemical and Environmental Research Group from July 27 to August 5, 2017, and archived by NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information.

Use Cases

• Analyze vertical profiles of temperature and salinity to identify water masses and stratification.
• Map the spatial distribution of conductivity and density along the glider's trajectory to study mixing processes.
• Correlate physical property measurements like temperature with time and location to model short-term oceanographic variability.
• Use the glider's trajectory data to validate or calibrate regional hydrodynamic models of the Texas shelf.

Strengths

• Data from a dedicated oceanographic glider deployment providing high-resolution vertical profiles.
• Measurements cover multiple core physical properties: temperature, salinity, conductivity, and density.
• Data processed and aggregated into a single netCDF file by the IOOS National Glider Data Assembly Center for consistency.

Limitations

• Dataset covers a limited temporal range of only 10 days in 2017.
• Geographic scope is restricted to a single glider track on the Texas shelf, not the entire Gulf.
• Unknown sample size, row count, and specific data resolution (e.g., depth intervals, time frequency).

Provenance

Source

Texas A&M University - College Station; Geochemical and Environmental Research Group, via IOOS National Glider Data Assembly Center and NOAA NCEI.

Collection Method

In-situ measurements collected by an autonomous underwater glider (Stommel) during a deployment.

Time Range

2017-07-27 to 2017-08-05

Freshness

Data collection ended on 2017-08-05; no update frequency specified.

Geography

Gulf of Mexico, specifically the Texas shelf.