Fisheries Oceanography in Coastal Alabama (FOCAL) Mooring data, January, April, and May 2011

The oceanographic community routinely collects time-series data of hydrographic properties and water current velocity of the marine environment. Such data are essential for establishing baseline characteristics of marine and estuarine ecosystems. This data from small coastal ocean observing system 25 kilometers southwest of the mouth of Mobile Bay, Alabama, that the Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL) has been operating. The overarching goal of the research is to identify and determine the kinematic and dynamic transport processes that govern the distribution, dispersion, dilution, and fate of oil-derived substances in Alabama's coastal waters. As such, the project examined the flow field characteristics on the Alabama shelf from the Eulerian perspective. The data were collected between 2011-01-27 and 2011-05-18. During that period, the instruments were deployed on 2011-01-27, replaced on 2011-04-13, and replaced again on 2011-05-18. The instrument data (five thermistors, two moored CTDs, and a YSI) have also been combined in a summary file. Also included are velocity data from an upward-looking and oxygen and salinity measurements from the YSI. The DISL mooring is located at 30° 05.410'N, 88° 12.694'W, in 20 m of water.