Columbia River Estuary Coastal Data on Wind, Currents, and Biology, 1952-1982

458 vertical profile files from two research vessels in October 1980 capture salinity, temperature, and velocity. This collection from the Columbia River Estuary Data Development Program (CREDDP) includes wind, current meter, tidal, river flow, bathymetry, and biological data submitted by the Army Corps of Engineers. Data collection spans from 1952 to 1982, with intensive sampling from 1977 to 1981.

Use Cases

• Modeling estuarine circulation and sediment transport based on current speed, direction, and bathymetric variables.
• Analyzing long-term coastal climate patterns based on wind direction, speed, and atmospheric pressure time series.
• Studying benthic ecosystem productivity based on carbon fixation rates, chlorophyll-A, and infauna count data.
• Calibrating hydrodynamic models using vertical profiles of salinity, temperature, and horizontal velocity.

Strengths

• Includes 458 detailed vertical profile files from specific research cruises in October 1980.
• Covers a 30-year temporal range for bathymetry data from 1952 to 1982.
• Integrates physical, chemical, and biological variables from wind to diatom species composition.
• Documentation includes format and program descriptions for multiple data types.

Limitations

• Last updated 1982-12-31 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, data submitted by the Army Corps of Engineers (Portland District).

Collection Method

Collected from fixed platforms, research vessels (THORFINN, U&I), and other sources as part of the CREDDP program.

Time Range

1952-01-01 to 1982-12-31

Freshness

Historical data; last update recorded as 1982-12-31.

Geography

Coastal waters of Washington/Oregon, Columbia River Estuary, and others.