TAO Buoy Array Mooring Data for Tropical Ocean Climate

Mooring data from the Tropical Atmosphere Ocean (TAO) buoy array provides oceanographic observations. The dataset covers a decade-long time series from 1992 to 2002. It is managed by the OB_DAAC organization.

Use Cases

• Analyzing sea surface temperature anomalies for El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) research.
• Studying ocean salinity and density profiles to understand water mass properties.
• Investigating ocean optics and chemistry for biogeochemical process studies.
• Validating and calibrating satellite-derived ocean data products.
• Modeling ocean-atmosphere heat and moisture fluxes using time-series buoy measurements.

Strengths

• Provides a continuous decade-long time series from 1992 to 2002.
• Data originates from the authoritative TAO buoy array, a key component of ocean climate monitoring.
• Cross-platform presence on NASA Earthdata and Data.gov indicates recognized importance and curation.

Limitations

• Specific column names and total row counts are not documented on any platform.
• One source lists a license as 'other-license-specified' while another lists no license, creating a conflict.

Provenance

Source

OB_DAAC

Collection Method

Collected from moored buoys in the TAO array.

Time Range

1992 to 2002

Freshness

2026-03-12 20:53:23.872318

Geography

Tropical Pacific Ocean, TAO buoy array locations.