SPURS-1 research vessel Meteorological series data for N. Atlantic Endeavor cruises

The SPURS (Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study) project is an oceanographic process study and associated field program that aim to elucidate key mechanisms responsible for near-surface salinity variations in the oceans. The project involves two field campaigns and a series of cruises in regions of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans exhibiting salinity extremes. SPURS employs a suite of state-of-the-art in-situ sampling technologies that, combined with remotely sensed salinity fields from the Aquarius/SAC-D and SMOS satellites, provide a detailed characterization of salinity structure over a continuum of spatio-temporal scales. The SPURS-1 campaign involved a series of 5 cruises during 2012 - 2013 seeking to characterize the salinity structure and balance in a high salinity, high evaporation, and low rainfall region of the subtropical North Atlantic. It aims to resolve processes responsible for maintaining the subtropical surface salinity maximum in this region and within a 900 x 800-mile square study area centered at 25N, 38W. All US SPURS-1 cruises (Knorr: 6 Sept-9 Oct 2012; Endeavor: 15 Mar-15 Apr 2013 and 19 Sep-13 Oct 2013) were equipped with a ship mast meteorological sensor package. An additional set of sophisticated meteorological sensors, including a direct covariance flux package, was installed on the Knorr. These sensors provided along-track atmospheric pressure, temperature, humidity, IR/visible radiation, rain, wind speed and direct covariance flux measurements. Resulting data files (1 per cruise) contain these georeferenced, SPURS-1 research vessel-based meteorological measurements.