Arctic Ocean CTD Profile Data from the 2008 Beaufort Sea Survey

Profile data from 17 days of CTD casts aboard the F/V Ocean Explorer in the Arctic Ocean and Beaufort Sea from August 6 to August 22, 2008. This dataset represents the physical oceanography portion of a collaborative Beaufort Sea Fish Monitoring program involving the University of Alaska Fairbanks, NOAA-NMFS-AFSC, and the University of Washington. It was collected to assess marine fish resources and support ecosystem management and climate understanding in the Alaskan Beaufort Sea.

Use Cases

• Analyzing water column properties (temperature, salinity, pressure) for Arctic oceanographic studies.
• Establishing baseline physical conditions for fisheries resource assessment in the Alaskan Beaufort Sea.
• Supporting climate variability research by providing in-situ profile data from a specific Arctic region and time period.
• Informing ecosystem-based management and environmental impact assessments for potential offshore oil development.

Strengths

• Data covers a specific 17-day survey in August 2008, providing a temporal snapshot of Arctic summer conditions.
• Represents the first dedicated fisheries survey of the Alaskan Beaufort Sea conducted in over 20 years at the time.
• Collection was a collaborative effort between multiple research institutions (University of Alaska Fairbanks, NOAA, University of Washington).

Limitations

• Specific column names, row counts, and file size are not provided by any source, limiting detailed technical assessment.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date (2008-08-22 on NASA Earthdata vs. 2026-03 05 on Data.gov), suggesting potential metadata inconsistency.
• Dataset is explicitly limited to CTD data, excluding biological or other measurements from the broader monitoring program.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

CTD casts conducted aboard the F/V Ocean Explorer.

Time Range

2008-08-06 to 2008-08-22

Freshness

2026 03 05 22:36:01.697001

Geography

Arctic Ocean and Beaufort Sea