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Description

This dataset contains in-situ position data from surface drifters from the Sub-Mesoscale Ocean Dynamics Experiment (S-MODE) conducted approximately 300 km offshore of San Francisco during a pilot campaign over two weeks in October 2021, and two intensive operating periods (IOPs) in Fall 2022 and Spring 2023. S-MODE aims to understand how ocean dynamics acting on short spatial scales influence the vertical exchange of physical and biological variables in the ocean. Drifting buoys were deployed from the research vessels and configured to nominally report positions every five minutes. Drifters deployed were a mixture of CARTHE and Microstar types. CARTHE drifters are drogued at 40 cm depth and measure the average horizontal velocity of currents in the upper 60 cm of the ocean (Novelli et al., 2017). Microstar drifters are drogued at 1 m depth and measure the average horizontal velocity of ocean currents between 0.4 m and 1.6 m depth (Ohlmann et al., 2005). See the S-MODE Data Submission Report sections 2.3.2.2, 2.4.2.2 and 2.5.2.3 for more information. Tracking and telemetry of the drifters is done by Pacific Gyre, Inc. The data are available in netCDF format with a dimension of time.
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Novelli, G., C. M. Guigand, C. Cousin, E. H. Ryan, N. J. M. Laxague, H. Dai, B. K. Haus, and T. M. Özgökmen, 2017: A Biodegradable Surface Drifter for Ocean Sampling on a Massive Scale. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 34, 2509–2532, https://doi.org/10.1175/JTECH-D-17-0055.1.
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Ohlmann, J. C., P. F. White, A. L. Sybrandy, and P. P. Niiler, 2005: GPS–Cellular Drifter Technology for Coastal Ocean Observing Systems. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 22, 1381–1388, https://doi.org/10.1175/JTECH1786.1.
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Westbrook, E., Bingham, F. M., Brodnitz, S., Farrar, J. T., Rodriguez, E., & Zappa, C., (2024). Submesoscale Ocean Dynamics Experiment (S-MODE) Data Submission Report. Technical Report. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, WHOI-2024-03, https://doi.org/10.1575/1912/69362

Product Summary

Platforms
BUOYS
Instruments
DRIFTING BUOYS
Spatial Extent

N: 38.1 S: 36.3 E: -122.9 W: -125.4

Coordinate System
CARTESIAN
Granule Spatial Representation
CARTESIAN
Temporal Extent
2021-10-21 to 2023-12-31
Data Partner
Physical Oceanography Distributed Active Archive Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA (NASA/JPL/PODAAC)
Concept ID
C2830029002-POCLOUD
Data State
COMPLETE
Number of Files/Granules
337
Processing Level
2
Science Keywords
SURFACE CURRENTS ,
Buoy Position

Citation

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.

Copy Citation

S-MODE. (2022). S-MODE Level 2 Position Data from Surface Drifters Version 1 [Data set]. NASA Physical Oceanography Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/SMODE-DRIFT Date Accessed: 2026-01-08

Documents

Variables

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 Description Units Data Type Fill Value Valid Range Scale Factor
latitude Latitude of Drifter measurement degrees_north double N/A N/A 1
longitude Longitude of Drifter measurement degrees_east double N/A N/A 1
position_QCflag Drifter position quality flag N/A double N/A 0 to 1 1
time Time of Drifter measurement days since 1950-01-01T00:00:00Z double N/A N/A 1
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