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Buoyancy Glider Observations of Current Velocities in the Northwestern Mediterranean Sea During April 2018
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  • Karen Mendiondo,
  • Alberto Mestas-Nunez,
  • Orens Pasqueron de Fommervault,
  • Hongjie Xie
Karen Mendiondo
University of Texas at San Antonio

Corresponding Author:pka065@my.utsa.edu

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Alberto Mestas-Nunez
University of Texas at San Antonio
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Orens Pasqueron de Fommervault
Alseamar-Alcen
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Hongjie Xie
University of Texas at San Antonio
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Abstract

Geophysical observations collected by The University of Texas at San Antonio’s (UTSA) SeaExplorer, an autonomous, buoyancy-driven, underwater glider equipped with an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) sensor are described. This dataset was collected in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea off the coast of France in April 2018 during the glider production phase by manufacturer Alseamar to ensure proper functioning of all sensors and equipment. The complete, raw dataset is being used by UTSA to aid in the development of in-house processing code to compute water-column current velocity profiles. The SeaExplorer glider, SEA039, is the first ocean glider acquired by UTSA’s Department of Geological Sciences as it expands departmental research into ocean sciences by incorporating new observational technologies and data science. The SeaExplorer glider collects high-resolution vertical profiles of physical and biochemical observations including ADCP current velocities in the water column from the surface to 700 meters depth. The data is processed and visualized primarily using MathWorks® MATLAB and described in conjunction with other regionally-relevant environmental datasets.