Saildrone Arctic 2021: Ocean and Atmosphere Observations from USVs

Two Saildrone uncrewed surface vehicles, SD-1057 and SD-1058, collected a 76-day multivariate dataset in the Bering and Chukchi Seas from 6 July to 20 September 2021. The mission's primary objective was to understand air-sea covariance scales and validate satellite sea-surface temperature measurements near the sea ice edge. Each vehicle was equipped with instruments measuring atmospheric conditions, ocean temperature, salinity, chlorophyll fluorescence, dissolved oxygen, waves, and near-surface currents via a 300 kHz ADCP.

Use Cases

• Validating satellite sea-surface temperature measurements based on in-situ skin temperature data.
• Analyzing spatial/temporal scales of air-sea heat and momentum fluxes from parallel vehicle transects.
• Studying near-surface ocean currents and water column structure using 300 kHz acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) data.
• Investigating phytoplankton dynamics in Arctic waters through chlorophyll fluorescence measurements.
• Assessing wave conditions and atmospheric parameters for model validation in the Chukchi Sea.

Strengths

• Data collection spanned a 76-day continuous cruise, providing a sustained temporal record.
• Deployment of two vehicles (SD-1057, SD-1058) on parallel tracks enables spatial covariance analysis.
• Instruments measured a multivariate suite of over 15 parameters, including atmospheric, oceanographic, and biogeochemical variables.
• Vehicles approached within 50 km of the sea ice edge, capturing data in a critical and dynamic region.

Limitations

• Column names and precise data structure are not provided in the available metadata.
• Exact row counts and dataset size are unknown, limiting assessment of data volume.
• License is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' without a clear definition.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Data gathered autonomously by wind and solar-powered Saildrone uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs).

Time Range

2021-07-06 to 2021-09-20

Freshness

2026-04-09 22:17:49.178192

Geography

Bering Sea, Chukchi Sea, Alaskan arctic waters