S-MODE L2 Position Data from Surface Drifters Version 1

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. <br><br> 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.<br><br>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.<br><br>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

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  "Earth Science"
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