Underwater Optical Data from the Southern Ocean, 2005-2006 Austral Summer

Southern Ocean measurements of spectral radiation, absorption coefficients, volume scattering function, chlorophyll a concentration, phytoplankton pigments, and transparency. The data were collected during the TR/V Umitaka-Maru cruise in the 2005/2006 Austral summer using a CTD system with Niskin bottles. It was last updated on NASA's Earthdata platform in January 2006.

Use Cases

• Modeling underwater light fields based on spectral radiation and absorption coefficient data.
• Analyzing phytoplankton community structure based on HPLC pigment concentration measurements.
• Studying water clarity and optical properties based on transparency and volume scattering function data.
• Calibrating satellite ocean color algorithms based on in-situ chlorophyll a concentration measurements.

Strengths

• Data includes multiple optical and biological parameters for a cohesive environmental profile.
• Measurements are from a specific research cruise (TR/V Umitaka-Maru) providing a controlled collection context.
• Spatial scope is clearly defined as the Southern Ocean.

Limitations

• Last updated 2006-01-29 23:59:59.999000; freshness should be verified.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and file format are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

nasa_earthdata

Collection Method

Seawater samples obtained from several depths using Niskin bottles on a CTD system.

Time Range

2005/2006 Austral summer

Freshness

Last updated 2006-01-29 23:59:59.999000

Geography

Southern Ocean