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CTD Cast Files

CalCOFI CTD Cast Files

calcofi_ctd-castCalCOFIunstatedin the release since v2026.05.19ingested

CTD downcast profiles with temperature, salinity, oxygen, fluorescence, and other sensors at standard depths. CalCOFI holds 19,085,072 observations from 9,872 sampling events at 113 stations, 1993–2026, 0–3,630 m.

1993–2026
years
19,085,072
observations
9,872
sampling events
113
stations
44
variables
0–3,630 m
depth
What this is

CTD downcast profiles with temperature, salinity, oxygen, fluorescence, and other sensors at standard depths. 1 m-binned final data for 1993-2002 come from the SIO-CalCOFI Technical Group’s own archive (J. Wilkinson), which covers the decade calcofi.org does not publish finals for; 1998 and 2003 onward come from calcofi.org. Where both publish the same cruise, calcofi.org is used; the two agree on 130 of 140 comparable files, and the four cruises that differ are recorded in question calcofi_ctd-cast_20.

Creators
Rasmus Swalethorp (UCSD SIO)
Physical Oceanography
Temperature, salinity, density, oxygen, pressure and dynamic height from bottles and CTD casts
st53-ln60 · 9,454 obs · 2003–2026st60-ln60 · 43,145 obs · 2003–2026st70-ln60 · 44,669 obs · 2003–2026st80-ln60 · 38,877 obs · 2003–2026st90-ln60 · 25,497 obs · 2003–2026st100-ln60 · 1,313 obs · 2003–2003st52-ln63.3 · 9,007 obs · 2003–2026st55-ln63.3 · 20,027 obs · 2003–2026st60-ln63.3 · 28,943 obs · 2003–2026st70-ln63.3 · 35,093 obs · 2003–2026st80-ln63.3 · 37,383 obs · 2003–2026st90-ln63.3 · 29,970 obs · 2003–2026st100-ln63.3 · 1,183 obs · 2003–2003st50-ln66.7 · 56,969 obs · 1998–2026st55-ln66.7 · 76,012 obs · 1998–2026st60-ln66.7 · 65,826 obs · 1998–2026st65-ln66.7 · 30,564 obs · 1998–2011st70-ln66.7 · 67,217 obs · 1998–2026st75-ln66.7 · 31,512 obs · 2004–2011st80-ln66.7 · 67,133 obs · 1998–2026st85-ln66.7 · 27,886 obs · 2004–2011st90-ln66.7 · 48,699 obs · 2003–2026st95-ln66.7 · 3,259 obs · 2007–2007st100-ln66.7 · 4,286 obs · 2003–2007st51-ln70 · 24,766 obs · 1998–2026st55-ln70 · 45,292 obs · 1998–2026st60-ln70 · 60,571 obs · 1998–2026st70-ln70 · 59,986 obs · 1995–2026st80-ln70 · 46,407 obs · 1998–2026st90-ln70 · 40,835 obs · 2003–2026st100-ln70 · 1,390 obs · 2003–2003st50-ln73.3 · 15,800 obs · 1997–2026st55-ln73.3 · 43,495 obs · 1998–2026st60-ln73.3 · 40,844 obs · 1998–2026st70-ln73.3 · 43,621 obs · 1998–2026st80-ln73.3 · 41,516 obs · 1998–2026st90-ln73.3 · 36,951 obs · 2003–2026st100-ln73.3 · 3,930 obs · 2003–2004st49-ln76.7 · 52,740 obs · 1993–2026st51-ln76.7 · 143,080 obs · 1993–2026st55-ln76.7 · 261,840 obs · 1993–2026st60-ln76.7 · 267,516 obs · 1993–2026st70-ln76.7 · 280,408 obs · 1993–2026st80-ln76.7 · 279,415 obs · 1993–2026st90-ln76.7 · 288,946 obs · 1993–2026st100-ln76.7 · 263,300 obs · 1993–2026st50.5-ln80 · 14,856 obs · 2004–2026st51-ln80 · 67,533 obs · 1993–2026st55-ln80 · 289,811 obs · 1993–2026st60-ln80 · 306,296 obs · 1993–2026st70-ln80 · 293,225 obs · 1993–2026st80-ln80 · 303,473 obs · 1993–2026st90-ln80 · 346,988 obs · 1993–2026st100-ln80 · 308,048 obs · 1993–2026st43.5-ln81.7 · 15,846 obs · 2004–2026st46.9-ln81.8 · 304,564 obs · 1993–2026st39.4-ln83.3 · 12,503 obs · 1998–2026st40.6-ln83.3 · 41,473 obs · 1993–2026st42-ln83.3 · 123,732 obs · 1993–2026st51-ln83.3 · 99,993 obs · 1993–2026st55-ln83.3 · 292,694 obs · 1993–2026st60-ln83.3 · 301,284 obs · 1993–2026st70-ln83.3 · 305,541 obs · 1993–2026st80-ln83.3 · 303,113 obs · 1993–2026st90-ln83.3 · 300,741 obs · 1993–2026st100-ln83.3 · 296,451 obs · 1993–2026st110-ln83.3 · 270,420 obs · 1993–2026st35.8-ln85.4 · 14,173 obs · 2004–2026st33-ln86.7 · 59,968 obs · 1993–2026st35-ln86.7 · 286,343 obs · 1993–2026st40-ln86.7 · 338,540 obs · 1993–2026st45-ln86.7 · 278,281 obs · 1993–2026st50-ln86.7 · 77,286 obs · 1993–2026st55-ln86.7 · 284,245 obs · 1993–2026st60-ln86.7 · 288,340 obs · 1993–2026st70-ln86.7 · 299,900 obs · 1993–2026st80-ln86.7 · 305,257 obs · 1993–2026st90-ln86.7 · 298,227 obs · 1993–2026st100-ln86.7 · 296,732 obs · 1993–2026st110-ln86.7 · 279,570 obs · 1993–2026st32.5-ln86.8 · 19,795 obs · 2004–2026st30.1-ln88.5 · 16,748 obs · 2004–2026st27.7-ln90 · 18,706 obs · 2004–2026st28-ln90 · 78,163 obs · 1993–2026st30-ln90 · 313,015 obs · 1993–2026st35-ln90 · 225,554 obs · 1993–2026st37-ln90 · 312,370 obs · 1993–2026st45-ln90 · 303,536 obs · 1993–2026st53-ln90 · 302,841 obs · 1993–2026st60-ln90 · 324,177 obs · 1993–2026st70-ln90 · 334,002 obs · 1993–2026st80-ln90 · 320,621 obs · 1993–2026st90-ln90 · 441,120 obs · 1993–2026st100-ln90 · 338,615 obs · 1993–2026st110-ln90 · 303,384 obs · 1993–2026st120-ln90 · 309,730 obs · 1993–2026st26.4-ln91.7 · 17,248 obs · 2004–2026st26.7-ln93.3 · 74,044 obs · 1993–2026st28-ln93.3 · 296,009 obs · 1993–2026st30-ln93.3 · 294,794 obs · 1993–2026st35-ln93.3 · 290,289 obs · 1993–2026st40-ln93.3 · 294,522 obs · 1993–2026st45-ln93.3 · 295,329 obs · 1993–2026st50-ln93.3 · 300,581 obs · 1993–2026st55-ln93.3 · 284,269 obs · 1993–2026st60-ln93.3 · 290,002 obs · 1993–2026st70-ln93.3 · 298,563 obs · 1993–2026st80-ln93.3 · 310,491 obs · 1993–2026st90-ln93.3 · 307,259 obs · 1993–2026st100-ln93.3 · 299,723 obs · 1993–2026st110-ln93.3 · 306,064 obs · 1993–2026st120-ln93.3 · 293,706 obs · 1993–2026st26.4-ln93.4 · 17,782 obs · 2003–2026125°W120°W30°N35°N
113 CalCOFI stations sampled, sized by observations, over the survey grid.

What is in it

1993 · 252,581 obs1994 · 510,693 obs1995 · 478,296 obs1996 · 523,222 obs1997 · 515,549 obs1998 · 736,324 obs1999 · 511,233 obs2000 · 489,567 obs2001 · 471,266 obs2002 · 474,115 obs2003 · 552,589 obs2004 · 611,643 obs2005 · 565,179 obs2006 · 610,783 obs2007 · 584,315 obs2008 · 555,256 obs2009 · 692,859 obs2010 · 692,946 obs2011 · 749,951 obs2012 · 594,562 obs2013 · 717,525 obs2014 · 570,033 obs2015 · 761,555 obs2016 · 763,790 obs2017 · 706,650 obs2018 · 603,179 obs2019 · 479,185 obs2020 · 507,821 obs2021 · 480,203 obs2022 · 385,144 obs2023 · 572,814 obs2024 · 478,848 obs2025 · 518,880 obs2026 · 366,516 obs19501960197019801990200020102020
Observations per year, 1993–2026.
44 variables · beam_attenuation, btl_ammonium, btl_chlorophyll_a, btl_depth, btl_nitrate, btl_nitrite, btl_phaeopigment, btl_phosphate, btl_silicate, btl_temperature … all 44

obs_env profile · one value at each depth of a cast · 19,085,072 values · 1993–2026 · 44 variables

beam_attenuation 1/m 619,045btl_ammonium umol/L 69,506btl_chlorophyll_a ug/L 115,582btl_depth m 160,069btl_nitrate umol/L 144,753btl_nitrite umol/L 144,408btl_phaeopigment ug/L 115,558btl_phosphate umol/L 145,401btl_silicate umol/L 145,645btl_temperature degC 146,097dynamic_height dyn m 674,481est_chlorophyll_a_cruise_corr ug/L 328,439est_chlorophyll_a_sta_corr ug/L 358,164est_nitrate_cruise_corr umol/L 313,893est_nitrate_sta_corr umol/L 295,383fluorescence_v V 703,754isus_v V 352,356oxygen_btl_ml_l ml/L 144,948oxygen_btl_umol_kg umol/kg 130,529oxygen_ml_l_1 ml/L 701,881oxygen_ml_l_1_cruise_corr ml/L 680,982oxygen_ml_l_1_sta_corr ml/L 665,088oxygen_ml_l_2 ml/L 346,441oxygen_ml_l_2_cruise_corr ml/L 325,101oxygen_ml_l_2_sta_corr ml/L 319,178oxygen_ml_l_ave_cruise_corr ml/L 681,492oxygen_ml_l_ave_sta_corr ml/L 665,354oxygen_umol_kg_1 umol/kg 683,818oxygen_umol_kg_2 umol/kg 327,319oxygen_umol_kg_ave_sta_corr umol/kg 627,819par uE/m2/s 588,957ph pH 219,320pressure dbar 704,112salinity_1 PSU 703,844salinity_1_corr PSU 686,595salinity_2 PSU 572,885salinity_2_corr PSU 555,828salinity_ave_corr PSU 687,017salinity_btl PSU 154,967sigma_theta_1 kg/m3 703,760spar uE/m2/s 501,471specific_volume_anomaly 10^-8 m3/kg 550,275temperature_ave degC 704,038transmissometer % 619,519

Full resolution only · 11

Series this dataset carries that are not canonical for any measurement, so the catalog draws no page for them: they ride the full-resolution table (obs_ctd_full) at every scan, behind the headline series above.

  • oxygen_saturation_1 Oxygen saturation sensor 1
  • oxygen_saturation_2 Oxygen saturation sensor 2
  • oxygen_umol_kg_1_cruise_corr DO sensor 1 cruise-corrected
  • oxygen_umol_kg_1_sta_corr DO sensor 1 station-corrected
  • oxygen_umol_kg_2_cruise_corr DO sensor 2 cruise-corrected
  • oxygen_umol_kg_2_sta_corr DO sensor 2 station-corrected
  • potential_temperature_1 Potential temperature sensor 1
  • potential_temperature_2 Potential temperature sensor 2
  • sigma_theta_2 Potential density sensor 2
  • temperature_1 Temperature sensor 1
  • temperature_2 Temperature sensor 2
Also contributes to · Carbonate System (1) · Nutrients & Chemistry (8) · Productivity & Pigments (7) which variables
  • Carbonate System — ph
  • Nutrients & Chemistry — btl_ammonium, btl_nitrate, btl_nitrite, btl_phosphate, btl_silicate, est_nitrate_cruise_corr, est_nitrate_sta_corr, isus_v
  • Productivity & Pigments — btl_chlorophyll_a, btl_phaeopigment, est_chlorophyll_a_cruise_corr, est_chlorophyll_a_sta_corr, fluorescence_v, par, spar

Every month of the year · extent 29.8–37.8°N, 126.5–117.3°W · 1993-08 to 2026-11

Ways in

Explorerdb-queryOriginal at CalCOFI.orgERDDAPParquetnetCDFSTACIngest notebookAs JSON

Every endpoint 30 · explore 6, get the data 7, code 4, metadata records 7, archives & portals 6

Every endpoint this dataset can be reached through, grouped by how you would use it. Each name is the link; the copy button beside it copies the address. Everything is in the release record and was answered when the release was cut.

Apps that read this dataset from the release. The icons after a name are the app’s lenses — the spatial grain it shows the data at.

CalCOFI ExplorerAcross datasetsopens on this dataset
Station ExplorerAcross datasetsopens on this dataset
Hexagon ExplorerAcross datasetsopens on this dataset
Cruise ExplorerAcross datasetsopens on this dataset
CTD TransectsOne dataset
CTD ExplorerOne dataset
Cite CalCOFI, 2023

This dataset's own citation. What to cite, and how, is a chapter of the docs book.

CalCOFI. (2023). CalCOFI CTD Cast Files. CalCOFI.org.
BibTeX 
@misc{calcofi_ctd-cast,
  title        = {CalCOFI CTD Cast Files},
  howpublished = {CalCOFI. (2023). CalCOFI CTD Cast Files. CalCOFI.org.},
  year         = {2023}
}

…and the release it came from

CalCOFI (2026). CalCOFI Integrated Database, release v2026.11.05 [Data set]. Scripps Institution of Oceanography, NOAA Fisheries, and California Department of Fish and Wildlife. https://calcofi.io/db-schema/?v=v2026.11.05
BibTeX 
@misc{calcofi_release_v2026_11_05,
  title     = {CalCOFI Integrated Database, release v2026.11.05},
  author    = {CalCOFI},
  year      = {2026},
  publisher = {Scripps Institution of Oceanography, NOAA Fisheries, and California Department of Fish and Wildlife},
  url       = {https://calcofi.io/db-schema/?v=v2026.11.05}
}
Provenance source read 2026-11-05 · 4 release tables · 1 changed in v2026.11.05 · 390 source files
source accessed
2026-11-05
record updated
2026-09-07
archive of record
Archive of record: none yet — a CalCOFI program dataset with no DOI-bearing deposit. EDI is the planned archive (package built and staged each release); NCEI planned through the SWFSC data manager. OBIS does not apply (no occurrences).

What changed in v2026.11.05

  • obs 131 MB · since v2026.11.05

Source files

The original inputs the ingest notebook read, mirrored nightly from the shared Drive to the public files bucket — 390 files, 18.6 GB.

and 378 more

release changelog ↗

Open questions for the provider 3 on this dataset · 32 open in all
  • Q50 consent — open
  • Q28 license — proposed
  • Q29 pi_names — proposed

Each is a field the record proposes and the provider has not yet confirmed.

Keywords 10 GCMD

Water temperatureOcean salinityOxygenWater pressureTemperatureSalinityDissolved OxygenDissolved NutrientsPhytoplankton Biomass and DiversityCalCOFI Network

Everything here is open; nothing on calcofi.io asks you to register first. If this dataset ends up in something you build or publish, register your use so it can be credited and linked back; to hear when a release changes it, stay informed. Questions: data@calcofi.io.

© 2026 CalCOFI · calcofi.io