Abstract:

These data were collected as an effort of the project “Taking the Pulse of the West Florida Shelf at a Hypothesized Loop Current Control Point” funded by the National Academy of Sciences Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) Gulf Research Program’s (GRP) Understanding Gulf Ocean Systems (UGOS-1) program. Specifically, these data are from the Pressure Point Mooring (PPM) located at 25.171N, -83.475W, near the shelf break northwest of the Dry Tortugas on the southern corner of the West Florida Shelf (WFS). Water velocity was measured between 2020-08-20 and 2021-09-28 at the 70-meter isobath on the West Florida Shelf. Velocity profile data were collected in 1-meter bins using Teledyne RD Instruments Workhorse Sentinel Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCP) and are in vector component format. Water temperature was measured using both Teledyne RD Instruments Workhorse Sentinel Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers and Seabird Electronics SBE-37 MicroCat recorders, with the SBE-37 sensors also recording salinity. Teledyne water temperature was measured at a depth of 1 meter, while Seabird SBE-37 temperature and salinity were recorded at depths of 1, 10 and 65 meters. Wind speed and direction, air temperature and pressure, and relative humidity are included at hourly resolution.

Suggested Citation:

Donovan, Jeff. 2022. Water velocity, water temperature, salinity, and meteorological data from the Pressure Point Mooring (PPM) on the west Florida shelf, deployment #2 (deployment name C22AB), from 2020-08-12 to 2021-09-28. Distributed by: GRIIDC, Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. doi:10.7266/VWWDCC1M

Purpose:

To study the effects of the Gulf of Mexico Loop Current on the West Florida Shelf.

Data Parameters and Units:

air temperature [°C], air pressure [mb], relative humidity [%], wind speed [m/s], wind from direction [°], sea water temperature [°C], sea water salinity [PSU], water velocity (u positive north, v positive east, [cm/s]), date [MM/DD/YYYY], time (UTC, [hh:mm:ss]).

Methods:

Data logger: Campbell Scientific CR1000X Communications: Campbell Scientific TX-321-G GOES Satellite Transmitter Met instruments: Primary - Campbell EE181-L AT/RH probe, Vaisala PTB110 Barometer, Gill Windsonic anemometer w/ Honeywell HMR3300 compass Met Instruments: Secondary (back-up) wind - Gill Windsonic anemometer w/ Honeywell HMR3300 compass Oceanographic Instruments: Seabird SBE-37 MicroCat T/S, TRDI Workhorse ADCP current meter The data logger computes averages of MET/Wind data sampled every second for 10 minutes, centered at the top and bottom of the hour, from both primary and secondary MET/Wind sensors. The logger then computes averages of these one second samples. The T/S sensor samples temperature and salinity every 10 minutes and sends the data to the data logger. ADCP data is sampled inside the instrument every second for 6 minutes, centered at the top of the hour. The ADCP averages these 1-second samples and sends the average to the data logger. The data logger constructs a text message for the data collected during the hour. The GOES transmitter sends the text message at a designated time each hour based on the GOES ID(s) assigned to the buoy. GOES messages are downloaded to COMPS servers using the OPENDCS software package. Data from these messages is decoded, passed through QARTOD QA/QC tests, posted to the COMPS website (comps.marine.usf.edu), and stored in the COMPS database.

Instruments:

TRDI Workhorse ADCP current meter; Seabird SBE-37 MicroCat; Campbell EE181-L AT/RH probe; Vaisala PTB110 Barometer; Gill Windsonic anemometer w/ Honeywell HMR3300 compass.

Individual Files: