SPURS-1: CTD Ocean Salinity and Temperature Profiles from North Atlantic Cruises

SPURS-1 research vessel CTD profile data contains vertical measurements of conductivity, temperature, and salinity from five oceanographic cruises in the subtropical North Atlantic during 2012-2013. The data, processed to 1-meter depth intervals, characterize a high-salinity region within a 900 x 800-mile study area centered at 25N, 38W. It was collected to resolve processes maintaining the subtropical surface salinity maximum and was calibrated using shipboard salinometers with IAPSO standard seawater.

Use Cases

• Analyzing vertical salinity and temperature structure to study the maintenance of the subtropical salinity maximum.
• Calibrating and validating remotely sensed salinity data from the Aquarius/SAC-D and SMOS satellites.
• Investigating the salinity balance in a high-evaporation, low-rainfall region of the North Atlantic.
• Modeling ocean mixing and water mass formation processes using high-resolution in-situ profile data.

Strengths

• Data is calibrated using shipboard salinometers with IAPSO standard seawater, indicating a high standard of accuracy.
• Provides a detailed spatio-temporal characterization from 285 CTD casts across five distinct research cruises.
• Profiles are processed to a consistent 1-meter vertical bin interval, facilitating comparative analysis.

Limitations

• Column names and precise data structure are not provided in the available metadata.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates (2013 vs. 2026) create uncertainty about data versioning or maintenance.
• The dataset appears focused solely on the SPURS-1 Atlantic campaign, not the broader SPURS project's Pacific work.

Provenance

Source

POCLOUD (as listed on one platform)

Collection Method

Shipboard lowered CTD probes deployed at fixed stations during five oceanographic cruises.

Time Range

2012 - 2013

Freshness

Last updated dates conflict: one source lists 2013-10-05, others list 2026-04-09.

Geography

Subtropical North Atlantic, within a 900 x 800-mile square study area centered at 25N, 38W.