Dataset: Water temperature, salinity, and optical properties from an Acrobat towed vehicle from bi-weekly grids conducted at Palmer Station, Antarctica in 2020

ValidatedFinal no updates expectedDOI: 10.26008/1912/bco-dmo.916046.1Version 1 (2023-12-01)Dataset Type:model results

Principal Investigator: Joshua Kohut (Rutgers University)

Principal Investigator: Hank Statscewich (University of Alaska Fairbanks)

Co-Principal Investigator: Matthew Oliver (University of Delaware)

Student: Jacquelyn Veatch (Rutgers University)

BCO-DMO Data Manager: Amber D. York (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

Project: Collaborative Research: Physical Mechanisms Driving Food Web Focusing in Antarctic Biological Hotspots (Project SWARM)

Abstract

This data is from a towed instrument called an ACROBAT. The Acrobat is a winged instrument platform that cycles between the surface and 60 m as it is towed behind a ship traveling at speeds of 5 to 8 knots. It is equipped with a SeaBird 49 FastCAT CTD (temperature, conductivity, and pressure) and a Wetlabs EcoPUCK optical sensor (chlorophyll a, colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM), and backscatter). The ACROBAT system has been used to map submesoscale features (fronts, eddies and filaments) a...

Show more
Cite Dataset

Data from the CTD, EcoPUCK, and GPS were combined and vertical profiles were constructed from dives using MATLAB. Data were written to a .mat file that was then combined with metadata to create a netCDF file. 

Location: Ocean waters south of Palmer Station, located between 63 - 62.3 S latitude and 64-65 W longitude in depths less than 60 m.

Deployment information: 
Palmer RHIB (small boat) operated by United States Antarctic Program operated during the months of Jan - April, 2020 with Principal Investigators: Jackie Veatch, Hank Statscewich, and Josh Kohut.

Related dataset information:

Danielson, S., & Statscewich, H. (2020). Water temperature, salinity, and optical properties from an Acrobat towed vehicle during cruises for the Northern Gulf of Alaska LTER site, 2018 and 2019(Version 1) [Data set]. Axiom Data Science. https://doi.org/10.24431/RW1K471
* This related dataset was collected during a separate deployment of the same instrument platform. The Gulf of Alaska LTER data collection effort was completed aboard the RV Sikuliaq, a 230' icebreaker, whereas the Palmer Station data published in this BCO-DMO dataset (916046) was conducted on smaller rigid hull inflatable vessels. 

Related Datasets

IsRelatedTo
Dataset: EK80 Antarctic Krill Swarms
Relationship Description: Krill swarm distributions (EK80 survey) related to the ACROBAT data to provide a wholistic view of the food web.
Bernard, K. S., Hann, A., Veatch, J. (2025) Krill swarms detected with active acoustic EK80 onboard small boat surveys in Palmer Deep Canyon, Antarctica during January-March 2020. Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office (BCO-DMO). (Version 1) Version Date 2025-01-30 doi:10.26008/1912/bco-dmo.949922.1
IsRelatedTo
Dataset: https://doi.org/10.24431/rw1k471
Danielson, S., & Statscewich, H. (2020). Water temperature, salinity, and optical properties from an Acrobat towed vehicle during cruises for the Northern Gulf of Alaska LTER site, 2018 and 2019(Version 1) [Data set]. Axiom Data Science. https://doi.org/10.24431/RW1K471

Related Publications

Results
Veatch, J. M., Kohut, J. T., Oliver, M. J., Statscewich, H., & Fredj, E. (2024). Quantifying the role of submesoscale Lagrangian transport features in the concentration of phytoplankton in a coastal system. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 81(4), 760–773. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsae036
Methods
Johnson, G. C., Toole, J. M., & Larson, N. G. (2007). Sensor Corrections for Sea-Bird SBE-41CP and SBE-41 CTDs. Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, 24(6), 1117–1130. https://doi.org/10.1175/jtech2016.1
Methods
Martini, K. I., Stabeno, P. J., Ladd, C., Winsor, P., Weingartner, T. J., Mordy, C. W., & Eisner, L. B. (2016). Dependence of subsurface chlorophyll on seasonal water masses in the Chukchi Sea. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 121(3), 1755–1770. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/2015jc011359
Software
Reister, I. (2023). <i>isreister/ACROBAT: v1.0.0_UAFOceansACROBAT</i> (Version v1.0.0UAF_ACROBAT) [Computer software]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.7768458

Statscewich, H., Veatch, J., Kohut, J., Oliver, M. (2024) Water temperature, salinity, and optical properties from an Acrobat towed vehicle from bi-weekly grids conducted at Palmer Station, Antarctica in 2020. Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office (BCO-DMO). (Version 1) Version Date 2023-12-01 [if applicable, indicate subset used]. doi:10.26008/1912/bco-dmo.916046.1 [access date]

Terms of Use

This dataset is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0.


If you wish to use this dataset, it is highly recommended that you contact the original principal investigators (PI). Should the relevant PI be unavailable, please contact BCO-DMO (info@bco-dmo.org) for additional guidance. For general guidance please see the BCO-DMO Terms of Use document.

NSF Logo©2020 Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office.
Funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation