R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer NBP0406A: Underway Oceanographic Data from Antarctic Transit

NSF-supported research icebreaker Nathaniel B. Palmer collected this underway data during a 2004 transit leg. The vessel operates year-round for the U.S. Antarctic Program, conducting global change studies across biological, chemical, physical, and oceanographic disciplines. Leg NBP0406A started and ended at Lyttelton, New Zealand.

Use Cases

• Modeling oceanographic conditions along a specific Antarctic transit route based on the underway data mentioned in the description.
• Analyzing temporal patterns in marine biological, chemical, or physical parameters collected during the vessel's operation.
• Studying the Antarctic marine environment for global change research based on the multidisciplinary focus described.
• Correlating vessel-track data with other Antarctic datasets using the known transit leg and timeframe.

Strengths

• Data originates from a dedicated NSF-supported research icebreaker operating year-round.
• Covers multiple scientific disciplines: biological, chemical, physical, and oceanographic.
• Specific transit leg (NBP0406A) and ports (Lyttelton, New Zealand) are documented.

Limitations

• Last updated 2004-09-02 23:59:59.999000; freshness should be verified.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and file formats are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

SCIOPS via NASA Earthdata.

Collection Method

Underway data collected by the R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer research vessel.

Time Range

2004 (specific leg date not provided, but last update suggests 2004 timeframe).

Freshness

Last updated 2004-09-02 23:59:59.999000.

Geography

Antarctic region, specifically the transit route for leg NBP0406A starting and ending at Lyttelton, New Zealand.