From January 1984 to July 1985, this dataset contains oceanographic measurements collected from the VEGA I and other platforms in the coastal waters of California and other locations for the Central California Circulation Study. Data were collected by Raytheon Co. and processed by NODC into standard formats for temperature-depth profiles (XBT), current meter components, pressure gauge data, and high-resolution CTD/STD output. The records include time-series measurements of currents and pressure, as well as temperature profiles to depths of up to 1830 meters.
Use Cases
- Modeling coastal ocean circulation based on Eulerian current meter measurements.
- Analyzing temperature-depth profiles and thermocline structure from XBT and CTD casts.
- Studying tidal and storm flow phenomena using time-series pressure gauge data.
- Investigating water mass properties and mixing using concurrent temperature, salinity, and current data.
Strengths
- Data spans a 1.5-year period from January 1984 to July 1985, providing a substantial temporal snapshot.
- Includes multiple measurement types (temperature profiles, currents, pressure) from a dedicated circulation study.
- Profiles were recorded to significant depths, with special instruments reaching 1830 meters.
Limitations
- Last updated 1985-07-01 00:00:00; freshness should be verified.
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
Provenance
- Source
- Raytheon Co., processed by NODC/NOAA_NCEI
- Collection Method
- Data collected via XBT casts, current meters, pressure gauges, and CTD/STD casts from research vessels.
- Time Range
- 1984-01-31 to 1985-07-01
- Freshness
- 1985-07-01
- Geography
- Coastal Waters of California and other locations