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Dataset Overview | National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)

Profile and bottle data collected on the RV Melville (cruise Vancouver 06) from the Agulhas-South Atlantic Thermohaline Transport Experiment (ASTTEX) in the Atlantic Ocean from 20030102 to 20030115 (NCEI Accession 0074001)

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Introduction:
The Agulhas-South Atlantic Thermohaline Experiment (ASTTEX) examined the fluxes of heat, salt and mass entering the South Atlantic ocean via the Agulhas Retroflection. The goal of the experiment was to provide a quantitative, multi-year Eulerian measurement of the strength and characteristic scales of Agulhas-South Atlantic mass and thermohaline fluxes, which contain a strong mesoscale component, resolving those fluxes on density horizons.

Methods:
The core of the ASTTEX field component was a 27-month deployment of sixteen moorings that monitored the transports of Indian Ocean water into the South Atlantic via the Agulhas Current at eddy-resolving resolution (70 - 80 km). The moored array consisted of twelve pressure sensor-equipped inverted echo sounders (PIES) three near-bottom acoustic current meters (ACMs), and one validation mooring equipped with six recording conductivity-temperature (CT) sensors and four vector averaging current meters (VACMs). All of the moorings were deployed along Topex-Poseidon/Jason satellite altimeter groundtrack 133. The mooring deployment and first hydrographic survey cruise (R/V Melville cruise Vancouver 06) were begun on January 2, 2003 and mooring recovery and second hydrographic cruise (RRS Discovery cruise 290) were completed on April 9, 2005. Hydrographic survey data include CTDO, XBT and XCTD profile data, and bottle samples of salinity and dissolved oxygen.

ASTTEX also included the large-scale analysis of regional sea surface height (SSH) anomaly fields during the field portion of the experiment as well as a long-term (12-year) analysis of Agulhas eddies in the SSH record (1992-2004). This component, spearheaded by Dr. Donna Witter of Kent State University, provided a large-scale, low-frequency context for the experiment. The SSH fields were derived from a combination of Topex-Poseidon and Jason-1 altimeter data.
  • Cite as: Byrne, Deirdre A.; UMaine (2011). Profile and bottle data collected on the RV Melville (cruise Vancouver 06) from the Agulhas-South Atlantic Thermohaline Transport Experiment (ASTTEX) in the Atlantic Ocean from 20030102 to 20030115 (NCEI Accession 0074001). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0074001. Accessed [date].
gov.noaa.nodc:0074001
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Distributor NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
+1-301-713-3277
NCEI.Info@noaa.gov
Dataset Point of Contact NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
ncei.info@noaa.gov
Time Period 2003-01-02 to 2003-01-15
Spatial Bounding Box Coordinates
West: 10.5485
East: 17.6663
South: -40.318
North: -31.2958
Spatial Coverage Map
General Documentation
Publication Dates
  • publication: 2011-07-01
Data Presentation Form Digital table - digital representation of facts or figures systematically displayed, especially in columns
Dataset Progress Status Complete - production of the data has been completed
Historical archive - data has been stored in an offline storage facility
Data Update Frequency As needed
Purpose This dataset is available to the public for a wide variety of uses including scientific research and analysis.
Use Limitations
  • accessLevel: Public
  • Distribution liability: NOAA and NCEI make no warranty, expressed or implied, regarding these data, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. NOAA and NCEI cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in these data. If appropriate, NCEI can only certify that the data it distributes are an authentic copy of the records that were accepted for inclusion in the NCEI archives.
Dataset Citation
  • Cite as: Byrne, Deirdre A.; UMaine (2011). Profile and bottle data collected on the RV Melville (cruise Vancouver 06) from the Agulhas-South Atlantic Thermohaline Transport Experiment (ASTTEX) in the Atlantic Ocean from 20030102 to 20030115 (NCEI Accession 0074001). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0074001. Accessed [date].
Cited Authors
Contributors
Resource Providers
Publishers
Theme keywords NODC DATA TYPES THESAURUS NODC OBSERVATION TYPES THESAURUS WMO_CategoryCode
  • oceanography
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
Data Center keywords NODC COLLECTING INSTITUTION NAMES THESAURUS NODC SUBMITTING INSTITUTION NAMES THESAURUS Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Data Center Keywords
Platform keywords NODC PLATFORM NAMES THESAURUS ICES/SeaDataNet Ship Codes
Instrument keywords NODC INSTRUMENT TYPES THESAURUS Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Instrument Keywords
Place keywords NODC SEA AREA NAMES THESAURUS Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords
Project keywords NODC PROJECT NAMES THESAURUS
Keywords NCEI ACCESSION NUMBER
Use Constraints
  • Cite as: Byrne, Deirdre A.; UMaine (2011). Profile and bottle data collected on the RV Melville (cruise Vancouver 06) from the Agulhas-South Atlantic Thermohaline Transport Experiment (ASTTEX) in the Atlantic Ocean from 20030102 to 20030115 (NCEI Accession 0074001). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0074001. Accessed [date].
Access Constraints
  • Use liability: NOAA and NCEI cannot provide any warranty as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of furnished data. Users assume responsibility to determine the usability of these data. The user is responsible for the results of any application of this data for other than its intended purpose.
Fees
  • In most cases, electronic downloads of the data are free. However, fees may apply for custom orders, data certifications, copies of analog materials, and data distribution on physical media.
Lineage information for: dataset
Processing Steps
  • 2011-07-01T14:04:31Z - NCEI Accession 0074001 v1.1 was published.
Output Datasets
Lineage information for: repository
Processing Steps
  • 2015-04-22T00:00:00 - NOAA created the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) by merging NOAA's National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC), and National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), including the National Coastal Data Development Center (NCDDC), per the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015, Public Law 113-235. NCEI launched publicly on April 22, 2015.
Acquisition Information (collection)
Instrument
  • bathythermograph - XBT
  • bottle
  • CTD
  • fluorometer
  • oxygen sensor
  • transmissometer
Platform
  • R/V Melville
Last Modified: 2022-07-01T18:03:04Z
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