Abstract:

GoMix is a three-year project with the goal of understanding the mechanisms, spatial inhomogeneity and temporal intermittency of boundary mixing along the northern deepwater Gulf. There are several platforms. This dataset concerns measurements obtained with an untethered free-fall instrument referred to as the High Resolution Profiler 3 (HRP3). The HRP3 was designed and built at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). The intent is for the instrument to obtain vertical profiles of 3-d absolute velocity, CTD, and microstructure over the entire water column. The R/V Point Sur PS17-06 cruise represents the instrument's first shipboard deployments. Other related GoMix I datasets are available under GRIIDC Unique Dataset Identifiers (UDIs): R5.x279.000:0001 (DOI: 10.7266/n7-js35-h386; Slocum glider data), R5.x279.000:0003 (DOI: 10.7266/n7-8avq-ar61; Mooring data), R5.x279.000:0004 (DOI: 10.7266/n7-zkef-0305; CTD data), and R5.x279.000:0005 (DOI: 10.7266/n7-s349-9222; Shipboard ADCP data).

Suggested Citation:

Polzin, Kurt and John Toole. 2021. GoMix I High Resolution Profiler 3 (HRP3) data collected aboard the R/V Point Sur cruise PS17_06 in the northern Gulf of Mexico from 2016-09-20 to 2016-09-26. Distributed by: GRIIDC, Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. doi:10.7266/n7-nhyk-8893

Purpose:

To quantify turbulence, turbulent mixing, and the mechanisms that cause them in the northern Gulf of Mexico.

Data Parameters and Units:

The finescale measurements have the parameters cave (1/2 dbar bin averaged conductivity, [mS/cm]); dpdtave (time rate of pressure estimated from 1/2 dbar pressure data, [dbar/sec]); nobs_ctd (# of CTD observations in 1/2 dbar bin, [enum]); nobs_vel (# of velocity observations in 1/2 dbar bin, [enum]); pave (1/2 dbar bin averaged pressure,[dbar]); pgrid (1/2 dbar grid, [dbar]); s_ave (1/2 dbar averaged absolute salinity, [g/kg]); tave (1/2 dbar averaged temperature, [C]); uave (1/2 dbar averaged E/W velocity, [m/s]); uoff (offset applied to the E/W HRP velocity, [m/s]); vave (1/2 dbar averaged N/S velocity, [m/s]); voff (offset applied to the N/S HRP velocity, [m/s]); wrelave (1/2 dbar averaged vertical velocity relative to profiler, [m/s]). The microstructure data have the parameters Csb (1/2 dbar bin averaged conductivity, [mS/cm]); Day [day of month]); Month [month of year]); N, [cast id]); P_fast (fast pressure variable, [dbar]); Ssb (1/2 dbar bin averaged salinity,[PSU]); Tsb (1/2 dbar averaged temperature, [C]); Year [year]); bin_P (1/2 dbar grid, [dbar]); chi1 (1/2 dbar averaged rate of dissipation of thermal variance, sensor 1, [C^2/s]); chi2 (1/2 dbar averaged rate of dissipation of thermal variance, sensor 2, C^2/s]); chic (1/2 dbar averaged rate of dissipation of thermal variance, sensor mC,[C^2/s]); eps1(1/2 dbar averaged rate of dissipation of turbulent kinetic energy, sensor 1, [W/kg]); eps2 (/2 dbar averaged rate of dissipation of turbulent kinetic energy, sensor 2, [W/kg]); nscan (fast scan linking P_fast to bin_P, [n/a]).

Methods:

Please see the included cruise report, Section IX, for a detailed description of the instrument and data processing.

Instruments:

High Resolution Profiler 3 (HRP3). Please see the cruise report, and the updated version of HRP#1 described in Schmitt et al., (1988).

Error Analysis:

The proof is in the pudding. 'Best practices' have not been articulated for these types of data.

Provenance and Historical References:

Schmit, R. W., Toole, J. M., Koehler, R. L., Mellinger, E. C., & Doherty, K. W. (1988). The Development of a Fine- and Microstructure Profiler. Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, 5(4), 484–500. doi:10.1175/1520-0426(1988)005<0484:tdoafa>2.0.co;2

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