Introduction

The database of oceanographic time-series measurements described in this report preserves and provides access to observations collected by investigators at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Woods Hole Science Center (WHSC) (formerly the Woods Hole Field Center) and colleagues since 1975. The data in this collection were obtained as part of studies designed to improve our understanding and predict the fate and transport of sediments and other suspended materials in the coastal ocean. Most of the field experiments were carried out at locations along the East and West Coasts of the United States, but field programs were also carried out in the Gulf of Mexico, offshore of Hawaii, and at other locations worldwide. Some of the measurements from selected experiments are documented and distributed in USGS Open-File Reports, Digital Data Series reports, or other publications, but the database is the permanent repository and distribution center for all of the data.

One of the goals in establishing a database is to facilitate use of the data by a wide range of users. This report provides the information needed to select and retrieve data and the open-source software required to read the data files. It also describes the various instruments and instrument systems employed to collect the measurements; the methods used to process and prepare these data for distribution; the availability of the data; and how the database is managed.

This report includes:

• a description of the database and contents
• documentation of the instrumentation employed to acquire the measurements
• documentation of the data processing for each instrument
• description of the quality-control and review process
• description of the data-storage format
• instructions on how to retrieve data from the database
• links to the oceanographic time-series measurement database
• links to sources of software to read and plot data in the database

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