Temperature-depth profiles and current meter data were collected from aircraft and other platforms in the Northwest Atlantic from January 1979 to January 1985. The data were collected by North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill for the SEQUAL/FOCAL project. Data were processed by NODC into standard UBT and F015 formats, with XBT profiles reaching depths up to 1830 meters and current measurements reported at 10-15 minute intervals.
Use Cases
- Modeling ocean thermal structure based on temperature-depth profiles from expendable bathythermographs.
- Analyzing equatorial current variability based on time-series measurements of east-west and north-south current components.
- Studying the seasonal response of the Atlantic Ocean using data collected over a six-year period.
- Calibrating modern oceanographic models with historical in-situ temperature and current observations.
Strengths
- Data covers a six-year time range from 1979 to 1985, providing a multi-year observational record.
- Profiles include deep measurements, with special XBT instruments reaching depths of 1830 meters.
- Current data includes vector components and may include ancillary measurements like water temperature and salinity.
Limitations
- Last updated 1985-01-01 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
- NOAA_NCEI
- Collection Method
- Data collected from aircraft and other platforms using expendable bathythermographs (XBT) and current meter moorings.
- Time Range
- 1979-01-16 to 1985-01-01
- Geography
- NW Atlantic (limit-40 W), TOGA Area - Atlantic