S-MODE: Saildrone Ocean and Atmospheric Measurements

Saildrone unmanned surface vehicles collected in-situ oceanographic and atmospheric data approximately 300 km offshore of San Francisco during the Sub-Mesoscale Ocean Dynamics Experiment. Measurements include upper ocean horizontal velocities, near-surface temperature and salinity, Chlorophyll-a fluorescence, dissolved oxygen, 5-m winds, air temperature, and surface radiation. Data is available at raw high frequencies (1 Hz or 20 Hz) and as 1-minute and 5-minute averages.

Use Cases

• Analyzing sub-mesoscale ocean current dynamics using Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) data.
• Studying phytoplankton biomass distribution via Chlorophyll-a fluorescence measurements.
• Modeling air-sea heat and gas fluxes based on concurrent atmospheric and oceanic sensor data.
• Validating satellite-derived ocean color and sea surface temperature products with in-situ observations.

Strengths

• Includes high-frequency raw data (1 Hz for ADCP, up to 20 Hz for other sensors) enabling detailed process studies.
• Covers multiple field campaigns: a two-week pilot in October 2021 and two intensive operating periods in Fall 2022 and Spring 2023.
• Provides co-located atmospheric and oceanic variables from an unmanned, wind-and-solar-powered platform.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and specific license details are missing or conflict between sources.
• The dataset's temporal coverage is limited to specific campaigns over two years, not a continuous long-term record.
• Column names are not explicitly listed, requiring users to infer data structure from descriptions.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Collected by Saildrone unmanned surface vehicles equipped with atmospheric and oceanic sensors.

Time Range

October 2021 (pilot), Fall 2022, and Spring 2023.

Freshness

Last updated on 2026-04-09 according to datagov, but another source lists 2022-11-30.

Geography

Approximately 300 km offshore of San Francisco.