These data are being made available because of the recognition that one set of objectively analyzed, smoothed fields such as presented in the ATLAS cannot satisfy all the needs of various investigators. Having a quality controlled version of the data will allow investigators to analyze and grid data in whatever manner most suited to their purpose.
There are two points to beware. In the ATLAS it was noted that because of numerous quality control problems, salinity data below 400 meters depth from the Soviet Union were not used in the preparation of the objectively analyzed fields. Those data are, nonetheless, still included in this tape.
The second point is that the final step of the quality control procedure was simply to eliminate one-degree square means that produced very unrealistic features in the objective analysis. Those data are, again, still included in this tape.
The data are here.
Entry_ID: ACC#8800247 (MD Identifier: 1234) Temporal Coverage: From: 1935-01-01 TO: 1978-12-31 Geographic Coverage: Southwest Extent: 90S,180W Northeast Extent: 90N,180E Source: SHIP Storage Media: Digital Magnetic Tape Discipline, Subdiscipline: EARTH SCIENCE > OCEAN Location Keyword: GLOBAL Parameter Group, Parameter: OCEAN COMPOSITION > OXYGEN OCEAN COMPOSITION > SALINITY OCEAN DYNAMICS > TEMPERATURE General Keywords: IDN_NODE GSFC/NODC Revision Date: 1992-08-25 Quality Statement: These data are termed Level A by NODC, indicating that they are in 'originator' format, rather than standard NODC format. While they have had no quality assurance checking at NODC, they have in fact received extensive quality checking; see references.
Archive: NOAA/NESDIS/NODC>National Oceanographic Data Center, NOAA Data Set ID: ACC#8800247 (REF#L00601 > Level A Data) Contact: NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA CENTER, Electronic Mail: SPAN> NODC::SERVICES TELEMAIL> NODC.WDCA/OMNET Phone: 202-606-4549 FTS 266-4549
Investigator: LEVITUS, SYDNEY Electronic Mail: OMNET> S.LEVITUS SPAN> NODC::LEVITUS TELEMAIL> [NODC.WDCA/OMNET] Phone: 202-606-4411 202-673-5411 FTS 266-4411 Entry Author: IRVINE, DAVID Electronic Mail: INTERNET> IRVINE@NSSDCA.GSFC.NASA.GOV OMNET> D.IRVINE SPAN> NCF::IRVINE Phone: (301) 441-4213 Information in this entry provided by NODC
Levitus, S, 1982: CLIMATOLOGICAL ATLAS OF THE WORLD OCEAN, NOAA Professional Paper 13, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington D.C., 173pp.