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 has been operating. The overarching goal of the proposed research was 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 both the Eulerian perspective. The data were collected between 27 January and 18 May, 2011. The instruments during that time period were deployed on 27 January, replaced on 13 April, and again on 18 May. Instrument data have been combined to include the temperature data (five thermistors, two CTDs (two moored), a YSI) and velocity data (upward looking ADCP).