SWOT Prelaunch: Ocean Bottom Pressure Measurements from the California Current

Bottom pressure measurements were collected from a sensor deployed 300km west of Monterey, California, USA, during the 2019-2020 prelaunch field campaign for the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite. The Paroscientific Digiquartz pressure sensor recorded data at a 15-second interval at the SWOT crossover location in the California Currents. This dataset supports the calibration and validation of satellite-derived ocean surface topography.

Use Cases

• Calibrating SWOT satellite altimetry data based on in-situ bottom pressure measurements.
• Analyzing high-frequency (15-second) ocean pressure variability in the California Current.
• Validating ocean circulation models using pressure data from a known crossover location.
• Studying the relationship between bottom pressure and sea surface height for the SWOT prelaunch campaign.

Strengths

• Data collection is tied to a specific, important scientific campaign (2019-2020 SWOT prelaunch).
• Measurement location and instrument (Paroscientific Digiquartz pressure sensor) are explicitly documented.
• High temporal resolution is specified, with data recorded on a 15-second interval.

Limitations

• Column names and data structure are unknown, limiting immediate analytical utility.
• Conflicting 'last updated' metadata (2026 vs. 2020) creates uncertainty about dataset maintenance.
• Row counts and file sizes are not provided, making data volume assessment impossible.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Measurements from a Paroscientific Digiquartz pressure sensor deployed on the ocean bottom.

Time Range

2019-2020

Freshness

2026-03-12 21:12:43.623776

Geography

California Currents, approximately 300km west of Monterey, California, USA.