Red Sea Phytoplankton and Chlorophyll Profiles from Monthly and Yearly Cruises

Open water data from the Gulf of Aqaba and northern Red Sea contains depth profiles of water column structure, chlorophyll-a, and phytoplankton distribution. The Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Israel gathers this data through monthly sampling and yearly cruises visiting 5-8 open water stations. Most depth profiles are complemented with inorganic nutrient measurements.

Use Cases

• Model phytoplankton population dynamics based on monthly distribution data.
• Analyze chlorophyll-a concentration profiles to study primary productivity.
• Investigate relationships between water column structure and nutrient measurements.
• Monitor Trichodesmium surface populations based on weekly sampling data.

Strengths

• Data collection includes monthly sampling and yearly cruises, suggesting a sustained time series.
• Depth profiles are complemented with inorganic nutrient measurements for most samples.
• Spatial coverage includes 5-8 open water stations along the Gulf of Aqaba and northern Red Sea.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences, Israel (via NASA Earthdata and organization SCIOPS).

Collection Method

Monthly depth profile sampling and yearly research cruises visiting 5-8 open water stations.

Time Range

Time series with monthly and yearly sampling, but specific start and end dates are unknown.

Freshness

Sampling is described as monthly and yearly, but the last update date is unknown.

Geography

Gulf of Aqaba and the northern Red Sea.