Quality controlled, post-recovery ocean glider data from the Pemba Channel (Tanzania) collected as part of SOLSTICE-WIO during the Southeast monsoon in June/July 2019.

Two quality controlled, post-recovery ocean glider datasets collected by buoyancy driven ocean gliders in the Pemba Channel (Tanzania) during the Southeast monsoon in June/July 2019 are presented here. These data were collected as part of the Sustainable Oceans, Livelihoods and food Security Through Increased Capacity in Ecosystem research in the Western Indian Ocean (SOLSTICE-WIO) project (Global Challenges Research Fund under NERC grant NE/P021050/1), to investigate ecosystem health and resilience in the face of climate change in the Western Indian Ocean. To investigate the physical mechanisms that underpinned productive waters to the southwest of Pemba Island two buoyancy driven ocean gliders (units 397 and sg550) were deployed alongside a research ship survey (Painter, 2019) in June/July 2019. Unit 397 was a Teledyne Webb Slocum G2 underwater glider with a maximum operating depth of 200 m and unit sg550 was a Kongsberg M1 Seaglider with a maximum operating depth of 1000 m. Using a locally chartered vessel, Huntress, unit 397 was deployed on 29th June 2019 in a mean water depth of 500 m at 039° 32.164' E, 005° 21.640' S. Unit 397 suffered a critical leak shortly afterwards and was recovered at 039°32.939 'E, 005° 18.34' S. Unit sg550 was deployed at varying positions within the Pemba Channel for daily missions on the 2nd-5th and 7th-8th July 2019 using a locally chartered vessel. The dataset submitted here contains all ocean glider data collected during the Pemba Channel robotic mission. Both units were equipped with integrated Sea-Bird CTD (conductivity, temperature, depth) instruments and Aanderaa oxygen optode sensors. Unit sg550 was additionally fitted with a WETLabs ECO puck optical sensor measuring 470/695nm (Chlorophyll-a fluorescence), 650nm (optical backscatter), 370/460nm (coloured dissolved organic matter - CDOM) and a lab-on-chip nutrient sensor measuring in-situ nitrate+nitrite concentrations. Unit 397 was additionally fitted with a WETLabs ECO puck optical sensor measuring 470/695nm (Chlorophyll-a fluorescence), 700nm (optical backscatter), 370/460nm (CDOM), and an Imagenex ES853 (a single-beam 120kHz echo-sounder) collecting acoustic fishery data. Observations of temperature/salinity have been cross-calibrated against ocean glider data. Concentrations of chlorophyll-a fluorescence have been calibrated against calibrated CTD data (Painter et al., 2021). All dissolved oxygen, CDOM and optical backscatter data are currently uncalibrated due to a lack of calibration data. The nitrate+nitrite and fishery acoustic data collected during this mission do not form part of this submission and will be available separately.