Oceanographic Data Sources
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Oceanography
Data Source
Oceanographic Data Sources
Below is a comprehensive table of major sources of oceanographic data, categorized by type, including global databases, national/regional centers, satellite/remote sensing, in-situ networks, and specialized tools. Each entry includes the source name, a brief description, key data types, and access links.
| Category | Source Name | Description | Key Data Types | Access Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Global Databases and Portals | World Ocean Database (WOD) | Largest collection of quality-controlled ocean profile data, managed by NOAA NCEI. | Temperature, salinity, nutrients, oxygen, historical/modern profiles. | https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/world-ocean-database |
| IODE (UNESCO) | Catalogue of ocean-related web sources, data systems, and metadata. | Metadata, physical, chemical, biological data. | https://www.iode.org/ | |
| Copernicus Marine Service | Hindcast, forecast, and reanalysis data from satellites and in-situ sources. | Sea level, temperature, currents, biogeochemistry. | https://marine.copernicus.eu/ | |
| General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO) | Global gridded bathymetry data from ship soundings and satellite gravity. | Bathymetry, seafloor topography. | https://www.gebco.net/ | |
| PANGAEA | Open-access publisher for Earth and ocean data. | Geophysics, biology, chemistry, environmental data. | https://www.pangaea.de/ | |
| EMODnet | European marine data network for various oceanographic disciplines. | Bathymetry, geology, biology, chemistry, physics, human activities. | https://www.emodnet.eu/ | |
| SeaDataNet | Pan-European infrastructure for marine and ocean data management. | In-situ, remote sensing, physical, chemical data. | https://www.seadatanet.org/ | |
| Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS) | Global database for marine species distribution and biodiversity. | Species occurrences, biodiversity data. | https://obis.org/ | |
| Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) | Open-access portal for biodiversity, including marine species. | Marine species occurrences, ecological data. | https://www.gbif.org/ | |
| ICES Oceanography Database | Quality-controlled ocean data from 1877 to present, North Atlantic focus. | Physical, chemical parameters, historical data. | https://ocean.ices.dk/ | |
| Ocean Data Platform (HUB Ocean) | Collaborative platform aggregating ocean data for research and industry. | Various oceanographic datasets. | https://www.oceandata.earth/ | |
| National/Regional Centers | NOAA NCEI | Archives ocean data, including former NODC datasets. | Physical, biological, chemical, paleoclimatology data. | https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/ |
| British Oceanographic Data Centre (BODC) | Manages UK marine data, including GEBCO grids. | Biology, chemistry, physics, geophysics, bathymetry. | https://www.bodc.ac.uk/ | |
| Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) | U.S. regional network for real-time and historical coastal data. | Buoy, glider, coastal station data (waves, currents, temperature). | https://ioos.noaa.gov/ | |
| Northeast Ocean Data Portal | Data layers for U.S. Northeast oceans. | Ecology, human use, physical oceanography. | https://www.northeastoceandata.org/ | |
| SISMER (IFREMER, France) | French national center for oceanographic data. | Physics, chemistry, geology data. | https://www.ifremer.fr/sismer/ | |
| BSH (Germany) | German bathymetric surveys and marine research data. | Bathymetry, physical oceanography. | https://www.bsh.de/ | |
| BGR (Germany) | Geological and geophysical marine data. | Seismic, geophysical survey data. | https://www.bgr.bund.de/ | |
| VLIZ (Flanders Marine Institute, Belgium) | Data systems for North Sea and global marine research. | Physical, biological, chemical data. | https://www.vliz.be/ | |
| INCOIS (India) | Indian ocean data and forecast services. | Ocean observations, forecasts, physical data. | https://www.incois.gov.in/ | |
| Satellite/Remote Sensing | NASA Earthdata | Ocean data from Earth-observing satellites. | Sea surface temperature, salinity, winds, chlorophyll. | https://earthdata.nasa.gov/ |
| NOAA NESDIS | Satellite-derived ocean data for monitoring and modeling. | Ocean color, sea surface temperature, weather-related data. | https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/ | |
| NOAA CoastWatch | Satellite data products for coastal and ocean environments. | Ocean color, sea surface temperature, currents. | https://coastwatch.noaa.gov/ | |
| USGS/Sentinel Image Viewer | Tools for viewing Earth observation imagery, including ocean surfaces. | Satellite imagery, ocean surface data. | https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/ | |
| In-Situ Observation Networks | National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) | Real-time data from moored buoys and coastal stations. | Waves, winds, temperature, currents. | https://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/ |
| Global Temperature-Salinity Profile Program (GTSPP) | Near-real-time and delayed-mode ocean profiles. | Temperature, salinity, velocity (ships, buoys, Argo). | https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/gtspp | |
| Argo (via Argovis) | Global array of profiling floats with visualization tools. | Temperature, salinity, velocity. | https://argovis.colorado.edu/ | |
| Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) | Real-time and archived data from cabled arrays, gliders, moorings. | Physical, chemical, biological data from key ocean sites. | https://oceanobservatories.org/ | |
| BCO-DMO | NSF-funded repository for biological and chemical ocean data. | Biological, chemical data from research projects. | https://www.bco-dmo.org/ | |
| CCHDO | High-quality hydrographic data, including carbon and tracers. | Hydrography, carbon, tracer data from cruises. | https://cchdo.ucsd.edu/ | |
| Marine Geoscience Data System (MGDS) | Geophysical data from marine research. | Multibeam bathymetry, seismics, sub-bottom profiles. | https://www.marine-geo.org/ | |
| Hawaii Mapping Research Group (HMRG) | Multibeam bathymetry and sonar data from Pacific surveys. | Bathymetry, sonar data. | https://www.soest.hawaii.edu/HMRG/ | |
| EU-SeaSED | Catalogue of seafloor samples, seismic, and sonar data (Europe). | Seafloor samples, seismic, sonar data. | https://www.geo-seas.eu/ | |
| Specialized Tools | NOAA Ocean Color Viewer | Tool for viewing satellite-derived ocean color data. | Chlorophyll concentrations, ocean color. | https://www.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/socd/mecb/color/ |
| Global Tagging of Pelagic Predators (GTOPP) | Tracks marine animal movements for ecological studies. | Animal movement, ecological data. | https://gtopp.org/ | |
| eOceans App | Citizen science tool for logging ocean observations. | Community-sourced ocean observations. | https://www.eoceans.app/ | |
| Open Earth | Community-driven tools for marine data analysis and modeling. | Various oceanographic datasets and tools. | https://open-earth.org/ | |
| Sample/General Repositories | Index to Marine and Lacustrine Geological Samples (IMLGS) | Database of seafloor and lakebed samples. | Geological samples, sediment data. | https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/curator/ |
| Zenodo | Open repository for research data, including oceanographic datasets. | Various oceanographic research data. | https://zenodo.org/ | |
| re3data | Registry of research data repositories for discovering ocean datasets. | Metadata, links to oceanographic repositories. | https://www.re3data.org/ | |
| UNEP SHELF Programme OSDS | Global inventory for continental shelf geophysical and geological data. | Geophysical, geological data for shelf studies. | https://www.unep.org/ |
Notes
- Access: Most sources are publicly accessible, but some may require registration or specific permissions. Check individual websites for details.
- Data Types: Vary widely; contact specific repositories for detailed metadata or niche datasets (e.g., real-time currents, paleoceanography).
- Additional Sources: For regional or specialized data (e.g., COSYNA for North Sea, SHOM for French tides), explore portals like IODE or re3data.