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Processed ADCP Current Depth Profiles, Flow Classification, and Power Law Parameters at Tidal Energy Sites

Published by Sandia National Laboratories | Department of Energy | Metadata Last Checked: January 27, 2026 | Last Modified: 2026-01-05T23:15:02Z
This dataset contains processed acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) measurements from twenty energetic tidal energy sites in the United States, Scotland, and New Zealand, compiled for the 2025 publication Current Depth Profile Characterization for Tidal Energy Development (linked below). Measurements were sourced from peer-reviewed literature, the Marine and Hydrokinetic Data Repository, EMEC, and NOAA's C-MIST database, and were selected for sites with depth-averaged current speeds exceeding 1m/s. Data span a range of tidal cycles, depths (5-70m), and flow regimes, and have been quality-controlled, filtered, and transformed into principal flood and ebb flow directions. Each netCDF file corresponds to a single site, with file names based on the site codes defined in the publication. Satellite images are provided for all sites in resource "Site Maps". Fourteen site files (listed below) have been updated and can be found within the included "Updated Sites NetCDF" resource. - PI: Parris Island, South Carolina, USA - ER: East River, New York, USA - FWN: Fall of Warness (North), Scotland - FWS: Fall of Warness (South), Scotland - SP: Southport, North Carolina, USA - SB: Sagamore Bridge, Massachusetts, USA - FC: Fort Clinch, Florida, USA - GWB: George Washington Bridge, New Jersey, USA - RC: The Race, New York, USA - I95: I-95 Bridge, Maine, USA - NR: Tacoma Bridge, Washington, USA - PW: Point Wilson, Washington, USA - KI: Kalgin Island, Alaska, USA -PSP: Point San Pablo, California, USA The dataset classifies current depth profiles by shape, reports their prevalence by flow regime, and provides fitted power law parameters for monotonic profiles, along with metrics for non-monotonic profiles. Detailed descriptions of variables, units, and file naming conventions are provided in the dataset README. The submission complies with FAIR data principles: it is findable through the open-access PRIMRE Marine and Hydrokinetic Data Repository with a DOI; accessible via self-describing netCDF files readable in open-source tools such as Python and R; interoperable for integration with other applications and databases; and reusable through comprehensive documentation.

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Complete Metadata
@type dcat:Dataset
accessLevel public
bureauCode 
                                            [
  "019:20"
]
contactPoint 
                                            {
  "fn": "Martin Jang",
  "@type": "vcard:Contact",
  "hasEmail": "mailto:mcjang@sandia.gov"
}
dataQuality 
                                            true
description This dataset contains processed acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) measurements from twenty energetic tidal energy sites in the United States, Scotland, and New Zealand, compiled for the 2025 publication Current Depth Profile Characterization for Tidal Energy Development (linked below). Measurements were sourced from peer-reviewed literature, the Marine and Hydrokinetic Data Repository, EMEC, and NOAA's C-MIST database, and were selected for sites with depth-averaged current speeds exceeding 1m/s. Data span a range of tidal cycles, depths (5-70m), and flow regimes, and have been quality-controlled, filtered, and transformed into principal flood and ebb flow directions. Each netCDF file corresponds to a single site, with file names based on the site codes defined in the publication. Satellite images are provided for all sites in resource "Site Maps". Fourteen site files (listed below) have been updated and can be found within the included "Updated Sites NetCDF" resource. - PI: Parris Island, South Carolina, USA - ER: East River, New York, USA - FWN: Fall of Warness (North), Scotland - FWS: Fall of Warness (South), Scotland - SP: Southport, North Carolina, USA - SB: Sagamore Bridge, Massachusetts, USA - FC: Fort Clinch, Florida, USA - GWB: George Washington Bridge, New Jersey, USA - RC: The Race, New York, USA - I95: I-95 Bridge, Maine, USA - NR: Tacoma Bridge, Washington, USA - PW: Point Wilson, Washington, USA - KI: Kalgin Island, Alaska, USA -PSP: Point San Pablo, California, USA The dataset classifies current depth profiles by shape, reports their prevalence by flow regime, and provides fitted power law parameters for monotonic profiles, along with metrics for non-monotonic profiles. Detailed descriptions of variables, units, and file naming conventions are provided in the dataset README. The submission complies with FAIR data principles: it is findable through the open-access PRIMRE Marine and Hydrokinetic Data Repository with a DOI; accessible via self-describing netCDF files readable in open-source tools such as Python and R; interoperable for integration with other applications and databases; and reusable through comprehensive documentation.
distribution 
                                            [
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "Associated Publication",
    "format": "5337841",
    "accessURL": "https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5337841",
    "mediaType": "application/octet-stream",
    "description": "This is a link to the associated publication, "Current Depth Profile Characterization for Tidal Energy Development" (Jang, Neary, Haas, 2025), which examines the global prevalence of monotonic and non‑monotonic profiles, their relationship to Reynolds number, flow depth, and tidal straining, and the suitability of canonical power law models for representing reference inflow conditions at tidal energy sites."
  },
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "Updated Sites NetCDF.zip",
    "format": "zip",
    "accessURL": "https://mhkdr.openei.org/files/648/14%20updated%20sites.zip",
    "mediaType": "application/zip",
    "description": "Updated site files for 14 sites: PI, ER, FWN, FWS, SP, SB, FC, GWB, RC, I95, NR, PW, KI, PSP"
  },
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "AH.nc",
    "format": "nc",
    "accessURL": "https://mhkdr.openei.org/files/648/AHB.nc",
    "mediaType": "application/octet-stream",
    "description": "Admiralty Inlet, Washington, USA"
  },
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "AP.nc",
    "format": "nc",
    "accessURL": "https://mhkdr.openei.org/files/648/AP.nc",
    "mediaType": "application/octet-stream",
    "description": "Akutan Passage, Alaska, USA"
  },
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "CS.nc",
    "format": "nc",
    "accessURL": "https://mhkdr.openei.org/files/648/CS.nc",
    "mediaType": "application/octet-stream",
    "description": "Cook Strait, New Zealand"
  },
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "NP.nc",
    "format": "nc",
    "accessURL": "https://mhkdr.openei.org/files/648/NP.nc",
    "mediaType": "application/octet-stream",
    "description": "Nodule Point, Washington, USA"
  },
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "01_README.txt",
    "format": "txt",
    "accessURL": "https://mhkdr.openei.org/files/648/README_648.txt",
    "mediaType": "text/plain",
    "description": "This README details the contents of the netCDF files, outlining all data types, names, and units."
  },
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "RP.nc",
    "format": "nc",
    "accessURL": "https://mhkdr.openei.org/files/648/RP.nc",
    "mediaType": "application/octet-stream",
    "description": "Rich Passage, Washington, USA"
  },
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "WP.nc",
    "format": "nc",
    "accessURL": "https://mhkdr.openei.org/files/648/WP.nc",
    "mediaType": "application/octet-stream",
    "description": "Western Passage, Maine, USA"
  },
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "Site Maps.pdf",
    "format": "pdf",
    "accessURL": "https://mhkdr.openei.org/files/648/site%20maps.pdf",
    "mediaType": "application/pdf",
    "description": "Supplementary material including satellite images of each site within this resource"
  }
]
identifier https://data.openei.org/submissions/8494
issued 2025-07-28T06:00:00Z
keyword 
                                            [
  "ADCP",
  "Hydrokinetic",
  "MHK",
  "Marine",
  "Reynolds number",
  "acoustic Doppler current profiler",
  "bed roughness coefficient",
  "current depth profile",
  "ebb currents",
  "energy",
  "flood currents",
  "monotonic profiles",
  "netCDF",
  "non-monotonic profiles",
  "power",
  "power law parameters",
  "processed data",
  "tidal",
  "tidal energy",
  "tidal straining",
  "velocity profile classification"
]
landingPage https://mhkdr.openei.org/submissions/648
license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
modified 2026-01-05T23:15:02Z
programCode 
                                            [
  "019:009"
]
projectLead Heather Spence
projectNumber FY25 AOP 2.1.5.701
projectTitle Model Validation and Site Characterization for Early Deployment MHK Sites and Establishment of Wave Classification Scheme
publisher 
                                            {
  "name": "Sandia National Laboratories",
  "@type": "org:Organization"
}
spatial 
                                            "{"type":"Polygon","coordinates":[[[-180,-83],[180,-83],[180,83],[-180,83],[-180,-83]]]}"
title Processed ADCP Current Depth Profiles, Flow Classification, and Power Law Parameters at Tidal Energy Sites

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