Lagrangian drifter data from the mouth of the Columbia River, Oregon and Washington, 2013

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Frequently anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
Lagrangian drifter data from the mouth of the Columbia River, Oregon and Washington, 2013
Abstract:
Lagrangian surface currents were measured using drifters equipped with global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receivers. A total of 8 drifter deployments were performed between May 25 and June 8, 2013. For each deployment, drifters were released within the MCR and their positions were recorded until the drifters were recovered. The average duration of the drifter deployments varied between 1.6 h and 17.2 h and the number of drifters released in a deployment ranged between 11 and 84. The initial positions and timing of the release of the drifters relative to the tidal cycle varied throughout the drifter deployments. Digital files containing the drifter data from each deployment are available in NetCDF format.
Supplemental_Information:
Additional information about the field activities from which these data were derived are available online at:
https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fan=S0313WO
Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
  1. How might this data set be cited?
    Stevens, Andrew W., Gelfenbaum, Guy, MacMahan, Jamie, Reniers, Ad J.H.M., Elias, Edwin P., Sherwood, Christopher R., and Carlson, Emily M., 2017, Lagrangian drifter data from the mouth of the Columbia River, Oregon and Washington, 2013: data release DOI:10.5066/F7NG4NS1, U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Santa Cruz, California.

    Online Links:

    This is part of the following larger work.

    Stevens, Andrew W., Gelfenbaum, Guy, MacMahan, Jamie, Reniers, Ad J.H.M., Elias, Edwin P., Sherwood, Christopher R., and Carlson, Emily M., 2017, Oceanographic measurements and hydrodynamic modeling of the mouth of the Columbia River, Oregon and Washington, 2013: data release DOI:10.5066/F7NG4NS1, U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Santa Cruz, CA.

    Online Links:

  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -125.177190
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -123.850667
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 46.434430
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 44.680610
  3. What does it look like?
    https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/file/get/5907955fe4b0fc4e448eb011?name=drifter_overview_1.png&allowOpen=true (PNG)
    Plot of drifter tracks from deployments 1-4.
    https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/file/get/5907955fe4b0fc4e448eb011?name=drifter_overview_2.png&allowOpen=true (PNG)
    Plot of drifter tracks from deployments 5-8.
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
    Beginning_Date: 25-May-2013
    Ending_Date: 08-Jun-2013
    Currentness_Reference:
    ground condition at time data were collected
  5. What is the general form of this data set?
    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: NetCDF files
  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
    1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?
      This is a Point data set. It contains the following vector data types (SDTS terminology):
      • Point (4479785)
    2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?
      Horizontal positions are specified in geographic coordinates, that is, latitude and longitude. Latitudes are given to the nearest 0.000001. Longitudes are given to the nearest 0.000001. Latitude and longitude values are specified in Decimal degrees. The horizontal datum used is D_WGS_1984.
      The ellipsoid used is WGS_1984.
      The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378137.0.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/298.257223563.
  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?
    Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:
    NetCDF files are self-contained and attribute information may be found in the header of the file itself.
    Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation:
    The entity and attribute information was generated by the individual and/or agency identified as the originator of the data set. Please review the rest of the metadata record for additional details and information.

Who produced the data set?

  1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)
    • Andrew W. Stevens
    • Guy Gelfenbaum
    • Jamie MacMahan
    • Ad J.H.M. Reniers
    • Edwin P. Elias
    • Christopher R. Sherwood
    • Emily M. Carlson
  2. Who also contributed to the data set?
  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
    Andrew W. Stevens
    U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
    Oceanographer
    2885 Mission Street
    Santa Cruz, CA

    831-460-7424 (voice)
    831-427-4748 (FAX)
    astevens@usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?

These drifter deployments were conducted as a part of a larger investigation into the hydrodynamics of the mouth of the Columbia River, Oregon and Washington, in 2013.

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?
  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?
    Date: 01-Mar-2013 (process 1 of 4)
    The drifters were each constructed with a 0.5-m section of standard dimension ratio 35 polyvinyl chloride pipe capped at both ends. Holes were drilled into the end caps and a 2.27 kg weight was attached to the bottom of the drifter. Foam collars were attached around the outer diameter of the top caps to provide buoyancy for the drifters. Waterproof cases attached to the top of the drifters housed two types of GNSS receivers. Positioning of the drifters was recorded at 1-Hz intervals using an internally-logging Genie GT-31 L/1 GNSS receiver. Each drifter was also equipped with a SPOT GNSS device that reported drifter positions at 5-min intervals via satellite. The positions from the SPOT GNSS were used in the event that the drifter was not recovered.
    Date: 08-Jun-2013 (process 2 of 4)
    A total of 8 drifter deployments were performed between May 25 and June 8, 2013. For each deployment, drifters were released within the mouth of the Columbia River and their positions were recorded until the drifters were recovered. Deployment and recovery operations were performed from the R/V Parke Snavely and two personal watercraft.
    Date: 17-Jun-2016 (process 3 of 4)
    Data were imported into Matlab to parse the data from one data file into individual drifter deployments. Distance, azimuth and drifter velocity were calculated using the GPS fixes. The data from each deployment were accumulated into NetCDF files for distribution.
    Date: 19-Oct-2020 (process 4 of 4)
    Edited metadata to add keywords section with USGS persistent identifier as theme keyword. No data were changed. Person who carried out this activity:
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Attn: VeeAnn A. Cross
    Marine Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA

    508-548-8700 x2251 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    vatnipp@usgs.gov
  3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?

How reliable are the data; what problems remain in the data set?

  1. How well have the observations been checked?
    Data were reviewed to ensure that only data points that represent the period that each drifter was free-floating are included, and extraneous points were removed (such as points on land or on the research vessel).
  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?
    Horizontal positional accuracy provided by the manufacturer is 10 m.
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
    Dataset is considered complete for the information presented, as described in the abstract. Users are advised to read the rest of the metadata record carefully for additional details.
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?
    All data fall within expected ranges.

How can someone get a copy of the data set?

Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?
Access_Constraints: None
Use_Constraints:
USGS-authored or produced data and information are in the public domain from the U.S. Government and are freely redistributable with proper metadata and source attribution. Please recognize and acknowledge the U.S. Geological Survey and National Park Service as the originator(s) of the dataset and in products derived from these data. This information is not intended for navigation purposes.
  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)
    U.S. Geological Survey - ScienceBase
    Denver Federal Center, Building 810, Mail Stop 302
    Denver, CO

    1-888-275-8747 (voice)
    sciencebase@usgs.gov
  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set? This zip file (mcr13_drifter_data.zip) contains 8 individual NetCDF files, one for each drifter deployment. The files names represent drifter deployments beginning on MM-DD-YY (local time).
  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?
    Unless otherwise stated, all data, metadata and related materials are considered to satisfy the quality standards relative to the purpose for which the data were collected. Although these data and associated metadata have been reviewed for accuracy and completeness and approved for release by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the display or utility of the data on any other system or for general or scientific purposes, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty.
  4. How can I download or order the data?
  5. What hardware or software do I need in order to use the data set?
    These data can be viewed with any text editor software.

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 19-Oct-2020
Metadata author:
Andrew W. Stevens
U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
Oceanographer
2885 Mission Street
Santa Cruz, CA
United States of America

831-460-7424 (voice)
astevens@usgs.gov
Metadata standard:
Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)
This page is <https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/catalog/pcmsc/DataReleases/ScienceBase/DR_F7NG4NS1/mcr13_drifter_metadata.faq.html>
Generated by mp version 2.9.50 on Tue Sep 21 18:17:19 2021