S-MODE: Shipboard CTD and Biological Profiles from the Pacific

Shipboard Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth (CTD) profiles were collected approximately 300 km offshore of San Francisco during the Sub-Mesoscale Ocean Dynamics Experiment (S-MODE). Measurements from the R/V Oceanus during a 2021 pilot and two intensive operating periods in 2022-2023 capture physical and biological variables to study vertical exchange. Data for the 2022 and 2023 periods also include biological parameters like chlorophyll, nitrate, and oxygen.

Use Cases

• Analyzing vertical structure of temperature and salinity based on CTD cast profiles.
• Studying relationships between physical dynamics and biological properties using concurrent chlorophyll and nitrate measurements.
• Validating satellite-derived oceanographic data with in-situ measurements from a targeted field campaign.
• Investigating short spatial scale ocean dynamics and their role in vertical exchange, as per the S-MODE mission objective.

Strengths

• Contains biological data (e.g., chlorophyll, nitrate, oxygen) for the Fall 2022 and Spring 2023 intensive operating periods.
• Data collection spans multiple campaigns over three years: a pilot in October 2021, IOP1 in Fall 2022, and IOP2 in Spring 2023.
• Hosted and maintained by a major space agency (NASA), indicating a level of institutional curation.

Limitations

• Critical metadata is missing: row count, file size, and specific column names are not provided in any source.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates (2026-03-12, 2026-04-09, 2023-05-05) across platforms create uncertainty about data currency.
• The license is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' without details, requiring further investigation for reuse.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Measurements taken via shipboard CTD rosette cast from the R/V Oceanus.

Time Range

October 2021, Fall 2022, Spring 2023

Freshness

2026-04-09 22:24:30.935043

Geography

Approximately 300 km offshore of San Francisco, Pacific Ocean