SWOT Prelaunch Campaign: WireWalker CTD Profiles (2019-2020)

Conductivity, temperature, and depth (CTD) measurements were collected from a WireWalker profiler sampling the upper 500 meters of the water column. The data were gathered near the SWOT satellite calibration/validation crossover location, approximately 300 kilometers west of Monterey, California, between September 2019 and January 2020. This dataset is part of a broader prelaunch campaign that also deployed fixed-depth CTDs, a Slocum glider, a bottom pressure recorder, and a Pressure Inverted Echo Sounder.

Use Cases

• Calibrating and validating SWOT satellite altimetry data based on in-situ oceanographic profiles.
• Analyzing vertical structure of temperature and salinity in the upper ocean from time-series CTD measurements.
• Studying ocean dynamics and water column properties near a key satellite crossover location.
• Integrating WireWalker profile data with complementary measurements from fixed-depth CTDs and gliders for a multi-platform analysis.

Strengths

• Data collection is part of a structured, multi-instrument calibration/validation campaign for the SWOT satellite mission.
• Provides high-resolution vertical profiles of key oceanographic variables (CTD) in the upper 500 meters.
• Cross-platform presence on NASA and government data portals indicates formal curation and importance for the research community.

Limitations

• Specific column names, row counts, and file sizes are not provided in the available metadata.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates exist between sources (2019-12-03 vs. 2026-04-09), creating uncertainty about metadata freshness.
• Documentation and data access details are referenced but not directly described in the provided snippets.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Measurements from CTD sensors on a WireWalker profiler deployed on a full-depth mooring.

Time Range

September 2019 to January 2020

Freshness

2026-04-09 (most recent update recorded on datagov)

Geography

Approximately 300 kilometers west of Monterey, California, USA, in the Northeast Pacific Ocean.