F191 Format: Meteorological and Wave Spectra from Fixed Buoys

National Ocean Service data from May to June 1983 provides a snapshot of coastal conditions from fixed platforms. The dataset is structured in the NODC F191 format, which contains seven distinct record types for buoy identification, meteorological parameters, and wave spectra details. However, the data does not fully conform to the standard F191 format, indicating potential processing or formatting issues.

Use Cases

• Analyzing wave frequency and density time series based on the reported spectral resolution records.
• Correlating meteorological parameters like temperature and pressure with surface wave conditions.
• Studying buoy position and sampling characteristics for fixed-platform ocean observation network design.
• Validating or comparing historical ocean wave models against measured spectral data.

Strengths

• Data originates from the authoritative National Ocean Service and is processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC).
• Provides a specific 34-day temporal snapshot from May 25 to June 27, 1983.
• Structured according to a documented standard format (NODC F191) with defined record types for different data categories.

Limitations

• Critical metadata such as column names, row count, and file size are unknown across all sources.
• The data is explicitly noted as not completely conforming to the standard F191 format, suggesting quality or compatibility issues.
• Sources conflict on the 'last updated' date, with one showing 1983 and another showing a future date of 2026, indicating potential metadata errors.

Provenance

Source

National Ocean Service (NOS), processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC).

Collection Method

Collected from fixed platforms (likely buoys).

Time Range

1983-05-25 to 1983-06-27

Freshness

1983-06-27 00:00:00