CORA (standing for Coriolis Ocean database ReAnalysis) is a global oceanographic temperature and salinity dataset produced and maintained by the French institute IFREMER. Most of those data are real-time data coming from different types of platforms such as research vessels, profilers, underwater gliders, drifting buoys, moored buoys, sea mammals and ships of opportunity.
Description This in-situ dataset produced by the French institute Ifremer in the framework of the European project MyOcean and French project CORIOLIS is a picture of the content of the operational oceanographic database CORIOLIS. This database is the main tool of Coriolis project which is a global data assembly center of in situ data: such as centre of Monterey in California. The latest version of CORA product is v5.2, it covers the years 1950 up to 2024 and has been released in May 2024. Observations are profiles distributed on measured levels (pressure or depth) and organized by dates of measurement and type of platform. Main users of CORA dataset are ocean modelers who needs to constraint and initialize their model. CORA is free of access and can be download via Copernicus Marine Service https://data.marine.copernicus.eu/product/INSITU_GLO_PHY_TS_DISCRETE_MY_013_001/description in netCDF file format. The main different of CORA dataset with other available datasets is that CORA provides data at depth levels where measurements were made rather than at standard levels such as in World Ocean Atlas or ENACT3. In addition data in CORA are retrieved from Coriolis database where each profile is visually checked by specialist operators if suspicious.
Validation procedure Validation in database duplicate observation check automatic checks (spikes, climatology, monotonic depth, valid date/position,...) objective analysis (ISAS software with 21 days, 300 km covariance ray): suspicious observations are visualized by an operator
Validation post extraction second duplicate observation check (detection and choice parameters tuned) refined climatological test XBT depth correction second objective analysis with tuned parameters: anomalies are visualized ARGO special diagnostics
Data sources The CORA dataset is designed for operational oceanography, so most global real time monitoring networks are plugged into this database. The data sources are the following: ARGO (autonomous drifting profilers) The global network of moored buoys comprising the TAO/TRITON, PIRATA and RAMA arrays EGO (underwater gliders) GTSPP (channel of real-time data distribution maintained by the US institute NOAA) GOSUDhttp://www.gosud.org/ GOSUD Website> thermosalinograph data coming from opportunity ships GTS (BATHY, TESSAC, drifting buoys messages) channel of low resolution data distribution Sea mammals equipped with sensors (seals and sea elephants) other datasets integrated in delayed-time (CTD, XBT, oceanographic cruises,...)
Versions + official versions of CORA product Date of release Time span Comments CORA1.0 2007 2002-2006 Beta version of the dataset, full years extracted CORA2.2 2009 1990-2008 Add of validation procedures (climatological checks) and gridding of the data CORA3.1 2010 1990-2009 Full years updated + 2009 added CORA3.2 2011 1990-2010 Add of validation procedures (duplicate check, XBT depth correction) integration of sea mammals data, automatisation of the update procedure CORA3.3 2012 1990-2011 Article submitted to Ocean Science review, add of year 2011, completion of anomalies feedback from objective analysis towards CORA dataset and Coriolis database. CORA3.4 2013 1990-2011 New ICES CTD data added CORA4.0 2014 1990-2012 Update of profiles and addition of Time series from drifters, ferrybox, profilers.CORA4.120151950-1989 (Extraction from EN4), 1990-2013 CORA4.220161950-1989 (Extraction from EN4), 1990-2014 CORA5.020171950-2015+ profiles extracted from the EN4 dataset and validatedCORA5.120181950-2016 CORA5.220191950-ongoing CORA5.220231950-ongoing CORA5.220241950-ongoing
References
External links official website of CORIOLIS project official website of MyOcean project User Manual