SWOT Prelaunch: Slocum Glider CTD Profiles in the California Current

883 CTD profiles were collected by an autonomous Slocum glider diving to depths between 500 and 1000 meters. This dataset captures conductivity, temperature, and depth measurements from a 2019-2020 field campaign 300km west of Monterey, California, supporting the prelaunch calibration of the SWOT satellite mission. The data provides a detailed subsurface view of oceanographic conditions at the SWOT satellite's planned crossover location.

Use Cases

• Validating SWOT satellite sea surface height algorithms based on in-situ CTD profile data.
• Analyzing vertical ocean structure and water mass properties in the California Current region.
• Calibrating ocean models using high-resolution glider-based temperature and salinity measurements.

Strengths

• Contains 883 individual CTD profiles, providing substantial in-situ observational data.
• Features high vertical resolution measurements from glider dives between 500m and 1000m depth.
• Data is explicitly linked to a major satellite mission (SWOT) prelaunch campaign, indicating a clear scientific purpose.

Limitations

• Column names and specific data structure are not provided in the available metadata.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates exist between sources (2019-12-28 and 2026-04-09), creating uncertainty about metadata freshness.
• Documentation references a user guide and journal article, but their immediate accessibility is unclear.

Provenance

Source

POCLOUD (as listed on nasa_earthdata).

Collection Method

Measurements collected by a Slocum glider during a dedicated field campaign.

Time Range

2019-2020

Freshness

2026-04-09 21:53:02.537354

Geography

California Current, approximately 300km west of Monterey, California, USA, at the SWOT satellite crossover location.