N: 83.6 S: 59.1 E: 180 W: 73.6
N: 83.6 S: 59.1 E: -6.9 W: -180
This dataset contains in situ profile measurements from Airborne eXpendable Conductivity Temperature Depth (AXCTD) probes. It provides salinity, density, temperature and sound velocity as a function of depth in the water column. The AXCTDs were jettisoned from a plane to collect temperature and salinity readings around Greenland, where a ship would have had difficulties maneuvering. After landing in the water, the AXCTDs drop a weighted sensor from the surface that falls at a well-calibrated rate, measuring water temperature and conductivity as it falls. An equation is used to determine the depth of the measurements as the probe falls, and another equation is used to convert temperature, depth and conductivity into salinity. These probes provided measurements of the ocean's physical characteristics around Greenland, where a ship would have had difficulties maneuvering. The AXCTDs are part of the Oceans Melting Greenland (OMG) mission. The AXCTDs were deployed in the fall from 2016 through 2021, covering the entire continental shelf surrounding Greenland as part of a once-per-year survey. The goal of the mission is to find out what contributions the ocean has on Greenland's melting glaciers.
Citation is critically important for dataset documentation and discovery. This dataset is openly shared, without restriction, in accordance with the EOSDIS Data Use and Citation Guidance.
Variables are a set of physical properties whose values determine the characteristics or behavior of something. For example, temperature and pressure are variables of the atmosphere. Parameters and variables can be used interchangeably. Variable level attributes provide individual information for each variable.
The Name in this table is the variable name. Fill value indicates missing or undefined data points in a variable. Valid range is the range of values the variable can store. Scale factor is used to increase or decrease the size of an object and can be used to correct for distortion. For questions on a specific variable, please use the Earthdata Forum.
| Name Sort descending | Description | Units | Data Type | Fill Value | Valid Range | Scale Factor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| conductivity | sea water electrical conductivity | mS cm-1 | float | -9999 | 0 to 60 | 1 |
| density | sea water density | kg m-3 | float | -9999 | 999 to 1045 | 1 |
| depth | depth | meters | float | -9999 | 0 to 5000 | 1 |
| frame | Represents the observed measurement, format unknown. A value of 00000000 indicates no data available. | N/A | string | N/A | N/A | 1 |
| lat | Represents the latitude of the plane position when the probe was deployed which is an estimate of the actual location where the probe hit the surface of the water. | degrees_north | float | -9999 | -90 to 90 | 1 |
| lon | Represents the longitude of the plane position when the probe was deployed which is an estimate of the actual location where the probe hit the surface of the water. | degrees_east | float | -9999 | -180 to 180 | 1 |
| profile_time | Represents the time in seconds since the weighted probe was released from the floating buoy. Depth is calculated from this variable based on a standard formula. | seconds | float | -9999 | N/A | 1 |
| salinity | sea water salinity | 1e-3 | float | -9999 | 0 to 45 | 1 |
| sound_velocity | speed of sound in sea water | m s-1 | float | -9999 | 1405 to 1560 | 1 |
| temperature | sea water temperature | degrees_C | float | -9999 | -2.2 to 35 | 1 |
| time | Represents the time the probe was deployed from the plane. | seconds since 1970-01-01T00:00:00Z | double | -9999 | N/A | 1 |