PISTON: RV Thompson 2018-2019 Ship-Based Atmospheric and Oceanic Measurements

The PISTON field campaign deployed two US research vessels, eight drifting floats, and two full-depth moorings in the Philippine Sea between August 2018 and September 2019. This dataset from the R/V Thomas G. Thompson captures multi-scale observations of tropical atmospheric convection and air-sea interaction, targeting the Boreal Summer Intraseasonal Oscillation (BSISO). Measurements likely include atmospheric winds, radiation, temperature, pressure, water vapor, and oceanographic parameters from multiple shipboard instruments.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the northward propagation of convection associated with the Boreal Summer Intraseasonal Oscillation (BSISO) using time-series atmospheric data.
• Studying air-sea heat and momentum fluxes to understand multi-scale tropical atmospheric convection and ocean interaction.
• Validating satellite-derived atmospheric and oceanic parameters with in-situ ship-based measurements.
• Investigating the role of equatorial waves, the MJO, and tropical cyclones in monsoon dynamics using coordinated ship and mooring data.

Strengths

• Data originates from a major, coordinated field campaign involving NASA, ONR, and NOAA, indicating high institutional credibility.
• Campaign deployed multiple complementary platforms (two research vessels, eight floats, two moorings) for a multi-faceted observational approach.
• Temporal coverage spans over a year (August 2018 to October 2019), capturing seasonal and intraseasonal variability.

Limitations

• Critical metadata is missing or conflicting: column names and dataset size/row counts are not provided by any source, and last update dates conflict between 2018 and 2026.
• The dataset's specific temporal bounds for the R/V Thompson cruises are not explicitly stated, only the broader campaign window.
• Documentation appears incomplete, with descriptions truncated mid-sentence in multiple sources.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Office of Naval Research (ONR), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Collection Method

Data collected using multiple instruments aboard the R/V Thomas G. Thompson during research cruises, as part of the PISTON field campaign.

Time Range

August 2018 - September 2019 (campaign period; specific cruise dates within not detailed)

Freshness

2026-04-09 20:35:32.071767 (from datagov, though this future date is anomalous and conflicts with the 2018 date from nasa_earthdata)

Geography

Philippine Sea, tropical northwestern Pacific Ocean north of Palau