SWOT Prelaunch Campaign: Moored CTD Measurements for Ocean Calibration

From September 2019 to January 2020, the SWOT prelaunch field campaign collected conductivity, temperature, and depth (CTD) data from a full-depth mooring. The campaign was conducted approximately 300 kilometers west of Monterey, California, to test instruments for the SWOT satellite's Calibration/Validation requirements. The dataset includes measurements from the ocean surface to the bottom, with related data from GPS and bottom pressure recorders.

Use Cases

• Calibrating SWOT satellite sea surface height data using in-situ oceanographic profiles.
• Analyzing vertical ocean structure (temperature, salinity, pressure) from surface to seafloor.
• Validating ocean models with time-series data from a fixed mooring location.
• Studying oceanographic conditions near a key satellite calibration crossover point.

Strengths

• Provides full-depth oceanographic profiles from a fixed mooring, covering the entire water column.
• Data is part of a coordinated prelaunch campaign with multiple instrument types (GPS, BPR, glider) for cross-validation.
• Campaign was conducted at a designated SWOT Calibration/Validation crossover location.

Limitations

• Column names and dataset size/row counts are not provided in any source, limiting immediate usability.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates (2026 vs. 2020) across platforms create uncertainty about data currency.
• License is ambiguously specified as 'other-license-specified', requiring further investigation.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Measurements from fixed-depth CTD sensors mounted on a full-depth mooring.

Time Range

September 2019 to January 2020

Freshness

2026-04 09 (from datagov, conflicting with nasa_earthdata date of 2020-01-19)

Geography

Approximately 300 kilometers west of Monterey, California, USA