Moana Wave: High-Resolution Ocean Temperature and Salinity Profiles

Temperature and salinity profile data were collected using STD/CTD casts from the R/V Moana Wave in the Pacific Ocean from February 22 to May 27, 1975. The data were submitted by Scripps Institution of Oceanography as part of the International Decade of Ocean Exploration / North Pacific Experiment (IDOE/NORPAX) and processed by the NODC into the high-resolution F022 format. The format includes nearly continuous profiles of temperature, salinity, density, and potentially dissolved oxygen or transmissivity, reported at depth intervals as fine as 1 meter.

Use Cases

• Analyzing vertical ocean structure based on high-resolution temperature and salinity profiles.
• Studying historical oceanographic conditions in the Pacific Ocean during the 1975 IDOE/NORPAX project.
• Calibrating or validating oceanographic models using in-situ conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) measurements.
• Investigating relationships between computed sigma-t (density) and other measured parameters like dissolved oxygen.

Strengths

• Data is in the standardized, high-resolution NODC F022 format, facilitating interoperability.
• Profiles have a fine vertical resolution, with data reported at depth intervals as fine as 1 meter.
• Data collection is associated with a major international research project (IDOE/NORPAX).

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and specific column names are unknown across all sources.
• The data is historical, collected over a specific three-month period in 1975, limiting contemporary analysis.
• Sources disagree on the last updated date (1975 vs. 2026), creating uncertainty about metadata maintenance.

Provenance

Source

Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Collection Method

Data collected via STD/CTD casts from the R/V Moana Wave and processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC).

Time Range

1975-02-22 to 1975-05-27

Freshness

2026-03-05 23:54:41.781955

Geography

Pacific Ocean