GCOOS Vocabulary
The GCOOS vocabulary is open to the public and users are welcome to use the compilation and we welcome comments on the list. The following are the formats that the table can be exported to:
File Format |
Remarks |
RDF/OWL File Format | The Resource Description Framework (RDF), a lightweight ontology system is fully compatible to Web Ontology Language (OWL), a language for authoring ontologies, and is endorsed by the World Web Consortium and used by the marine Metadara Interoperability Project to map ontologies in their registry, of which GCOOS is an active participant. |
Comman Separated Value (Text Format) | This table may also be exported to a Comma Separated Value (CSV) file format that can be imported onto a spreadsheet, database and other programs that supports this format. |
SQLite Data Format | The table as displayed below, are stored in SQLite database format, the most widely deployed SQL database engine. A copy of this database may also be downloaded as they are presented below. |
The URI for the GCOOS Vocabulary in the Ontology Registry and Repository is: http://mmisw.org/ont/gcoos/parameter
Total Number of Records: 124 |
[Click on the header to sort (ascending) the rows if desired.]
Label | Definition | minRange | maxRange | UnitOfMeasure | Abbreviation |
conductivity | Ability of a material to pass an electrical current. Inverse of resistance. | siemens | uS | cond | ||
specific_conductance | Ability of a specific volume (1 cubic centimeter) of water to pass an electrical current. | uS cm-1 | sp_cond | ||
relative_humidity | Amount of moisture in the air as vapor relative to how much it can possibly hold at the same temperature. | 0.0 | 105.0 | precent | rel_humid |
water_pressure | Amount of pressure caused by overlying water column. | Pa | bar | dbar | atm | water_press | ||
precipitation_accumlated_daily | Amount of wet equivalent precipitation accumulated for a 24 hour period. | mm | precip_accum | ||
precipitation_rate | Amount of wet equivalent precipitation per unit time. | mm hr-1 | precip_rate | ||
swell_height | Average height of the highest one-third of the swells, if a separation between swell and wind-wave energy peak exists. | meter | swell_ht | ||
signifcant_wave_height | Average height of the highest one-third of the waves. | meter | sig_wv_ht | ||
wind_wave_height | Average height of the highest one-third of the wind-waves, if a separation between swell and wind-wave energy peak exists. | meter | wind_wv_ht | ||
net_heat_flux | Combined net shortwave, net longwave, sensible and latent heat fluxes. Positive is downward. | W m-2 | Q_net | ||
oxygen_saturation | Concentration at which oxygen becomes saturated in water. | ug L-1 | oxygen_sat | ||
oxygen_concentration | Concentration in water of dissolved oxygen. | ug L-1 | oxygen_concen | ||
sensible_heat_flux | Conductive or convective exchange of heat from the atmosphere to the ocean. Positive is downward. | W m-2 | Q_sensible | ||
bin_direction | Current direction of bin | 0.0 | 360.0 | cm s-1 | bin_dir |
beam_velocity | Current velocity measured parallel to the path of an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler beam | -300.0 | 300.0 | cm s-1 | beam_vel |
beam1_velocity | Current velocity measured parallel to the path of beam 1 | -300.0 | 300.0 | cm s-1 | beam1_vel |
beam2_velocity | Current velocity measured parallel to the path of beam 2 | cm s-1 | beam2_vel | ||
beam3_velocity | Current velocity measured parallel to the path of beam 3 | cm s-1 | beam3_vel | ||
beam4_velocity | Current velocity measured parallel to the path of beam 4 | cm s-1 | beam4_vel | ||
bin_velocity | Current velocity of bin | cm s-1 | bin_vel | ||
date_time_string | Date and time character string of observation that includes year, month, day, hour, minute and second. | string YYYY MM DD hh mm ss | date_time_string | ||
relative_wind_from_direction | Direction from which wind is blowing relative to a moving platform, e.g. ship. | 0.0 | 360.0 | degrees_true | rel_wnddirec |
wind_from_direction | Direction from which wind is blowing. Meteorological Convention. | 0.0 | 360.0 | degrees_true | wdir |
swell_to_direction | Direction the swell is coming from. | degrees_true | swell_dir | ||
wind_wave_to_direction | Direction the wind-waves are coming from. | degrees_true | wind_wv_dir | ||
wind_to_direction | Direction toward which wind is blowing. Oceanographic convention. | 0.0 | 360.0 | degrees_true | wdir |
wind_stress_to_direction | Direction toward which wind stress is acting. | degrees_true | tau_dir | ||
current_to_direction | Direction towards which ocean current is going. | 0.0 | 360.0 | degrees_true | c_dir |
initial_bin_distance | Distance from instrument to first bin measurement | meters | init_bin_dist | ||
bottom_tracking_depth | Distance to sea floor determined by a series of long pulses sent out from ADCP | meters | btm_track_depth | ||
downward_longwave_radiation | Downward IR radiation. Positive is downward. | 250.0 | 450.0 | W m-2 | Q_dlw |
downward_shortwave_radiation | Downward solar insolation. Positive is downward. | 0.0 | 1400.0 | W m-2 | Q_dsw |
bin_u_vector | East/West component of bin vector. Eastward is positive. | cm s-1 | bin_u | ||
eastward_current | East/West component of ocean current. Eastward is positive. | cm s-1 | water_u | ||
eastward_wind_stress | East/West component of wind stress. Eastward is positive. | N m-2 | tau_x | ||
eastward_wind | East/West component of wind vector. Eastward wind is positive. | m s-1 | east_wind | ||
longitude_hemisphere | Eastern or Western hemisphere | E | W | lon_hem | ||
gps_elevation | Elevation from where the GPS reading was made | km | gps_elev | ||
latent_heat_flux | Evaporative exchange of heat from the atmosphere to the ocean. Positive is downward. | W m-2 | Q_latent | ||
albedo | Fraction of downward radiation that is reflected or scattered | 0.0 | 1.0 | alb | |
latitude_seconds | Fraction of lat_min divided by 60. | 0.0 | 60.0 | angular_second | lat_sec |
latitude_minutes | Fraction of latitude degree divided by 60. | 0.0 | 60.0 | angular_minute | lat_min |
longitude_seconds+A151 | Fraction of lon_min divided by 60. | 0.0 | 60.0 | angular_second | lon_sec |
longitude_minutes | Fraction of longitude degree divided by 60. | 0.0 | 60.0 | angular_minute | lon_min |
visibility | Greatest distance an object can be seen and identified. Usually refering to visibility in air but could be other medium. | m | visibility | ||
btm_track_heading | Heading in degrees to by a series of long pulses sent out from ADCP | degrees | btm_track_hdg | ||
sea_surface_elevation | Height or altitude of the sea surface above specified reference. | meter | surf_el | ||
water_temperature | In situ water temperature | 5.0 | 35.0 | celsius | wtemp |
latitude_degrees | Integer degrees of latitude | degrees_north | lat_deg | ||
longitude_degrees | Integer degrees of longitude | degrees_east | lon_deg | ||
downwelling_longwave_irradiance | Integrated downwelling irradiance for spectral wavelengths greater than 700nm. | W m-2 | pir_irrad | ||
downwelling_shortwave_irradiance | Integrated downwelling irradiance for spectral wavelengths less than 700nm. | W m-2 | psp_irrad | ||
photosynthetically_available_radiation | Integrated downwelling irradiance for wavelengths from 400 to 700nm. | W m-2 | PAR | ||
downwelling_uv_irradiance | Integrated downwelling irradiance for wavelengths in the ultraviolet region. | W m-2 | uv_irrad | ||
downwelling_uv_radiance | Integrated downwelling radiance for wavelengths in the ultraviolet region. | W m-2 sr-1 | uv_rad | ||
bw_irradiance | Irradiance for black body and white light source. | W m-2 | bw_irrad | ||
downwelling_irradiance | Irradiance from above. | W m-2 m-1 | Ed | ||
upwelling_irradiance | Irradiance from below | W m-2 m-1 | Eu | ||
spectral_radiance | Light energy of specific wavelength from a set of directions (solid angle) at a point and time in space. | W m-2 m-1 sr-1 | L | ||
spectral_irradiance | Light energy of specific wavelength from all directions at a point and time in space. | W m-2 m-1 | E | ||
current_speed | Magnitude of velocity of ocean current. | 0.0 | 360.0 | cm s-1 | c_spd |
sound_velocity | Magnitude of velocity of sound in water. | m s-1 | sound_velocity | ||
wind_stress | Magnitude of wind stress. Wind stress is the force of wind imposed on a unit area. | N m-2 | tau | ||
relative_wind_speed | Magnitude of wind velocity relative to a moving platform, e.g. ship. | 0.0 | 70.0 | m s-1 | rel_wndspd |
wind_speed | Magnitude of wind velocity. | 0.0 | 150.0 | m s-1 | wspd |
air_density | Mass of air per unit volume. | kg m-3 | air density | ||
water_density | Mass of water per unit volume | kg m-3 | density | ||
wind_gust | Maximum instantaneous wind speed (usually no more than but not limited to 10 seconds) within a sample averaging interval. | 0.0 | 250.0 | m s-1 | wgust |
light_attenuation_coefficient | Measure of combined effects on light caused by absorption and scattering over a defined distance for a specific wavelength of light. | m-1 | attenuate | ||
wave_steepness | Measure of departure from typical wave slope. | steepness | |||
turbidity | Measure of light scattering due to suspended material in water. | NTU | turb | ||
salinity | Measure of salt content of a seawater sample follows UNESCO standards; approximately parts per thousand. | 20.0 | 38.0 | PSS or PSU or PPT | salinity |
beam1_echo_intensity | Measure of the echo intensity returning to beam 1 from the ADCP transmit pulse | 0.0 | 200.0 | db | beam1_echo |
beam_echo_intensity | Measure of the echo intensity returning to beam 1 from the ADCP transmit pulse | 0.0 | 200.0 | db | beam_echo |
beam2_echo_intensity | Measure of the echo intensity returning to beam 2 from the ADCP transmit pulse | 0.0 | db | beam2_echo | |
beam3_echo_intensity | Measure of the echo intensity returning to beam 3 from the ADCP transmit pulse | 0.0 | 200.0 | db | beam3_echo |
beam4_echo_intensity | Measure of the echo intensity returning to beam 4 from the ADCP transmit pulse | 0.0 | 200.0 | db | beam4_echo |
nitrate_concentration | Measured nitrate concentration in the immediate environment | ug L-1 | nitrate | ||
net_longwave_radiation | Net IR radiation includes reflected IR radiation. Positive is downward. | W m-2 | Q_lw | ||
net_shortwave_radiation | Net solar insolation considering albedo effects. Positive is downward. | 0.0 | 1400.0 | W m-2 | Q_sw |
bin_v_vector | North/South component of bin vector. Northward is positive. | cm s-1 | bin_v | ||
northward_current | North/South component of ocean current. Northward is positive. | cm s-1 | water_v | ||
northward_wind_stress | North/South component of wind stress. Northward is positive. | N m-2 | tau_y | ||
northward_wind | North/South component of wind vector. Northward wind is positive. | m s-1 | north_wind | ||
latitude_hemisphere | Northern or Southern hemisphere | N | S | lat_hem | ||
day_of_year | Number of days since day 1 of reference year. | 0.0 | 366.0 | days | doy |
number_adcp_beams | Number of directionally independent beams of the ADCP | 2.0 | 6.0 | number_beams | |
number_profile_bins | Number of uniformely spaced depth cells where data is collected | number_bins | |||
bottom | Ocean bottom. | bottom | |||
cloud_cover | Percent of sky covered by clouds of all types. | 0.0 | 100.0 | percent | cloud cover |
significant_wave_period | Period of the significant wave. | second | sig_wv_per | ||
swell_period | Period of the swells. | second | swell_per | ||
wind_wave_period | Period of wind-waves. | second | wind_wv_per | ||
air_pressure | Pressure exerted by overlying air. | 822.0 | 1040.0 | hPa | air_press |
bw_radiance | Radiance for black body and white light source. | W m-2 sr-1 | bw_rad | ||
upwelling_radiance | Radiance from above. | W m-2 m-1 sr-1 | Lu | ||
water_leaving_radiance | Radiance from below, leaving the water surface. | W m-2 m-1 sr-1 | Luw | ||
downwelling_radiance | Radiance from below. | W m-2 m-1 sr-1 | Ld | ||
signifcant_wave_to_direction | Significant wave direction. | degrees_true | sig_wv_dir | ||
dew_point_temperature | Temperature at which air begins to condense. | celsius | dew_point | ||
air_temperature | Temperature of air (in situ). | 10.0 | 38.0 | celsius | air_temp |
wet_bulb_temperature | Temperature of evaporative cooling. | celsius | wet_bulb_temp | ||
mixing_ratio | The ratio of mass of water vapor to the mass of dry air in the sample. | g kg-1 | mix | ||
time | Time coordinate of observation based on number of seconds since the defined reference time. | sec since 1970-1-1 00:00:00 | time | ||
source_time | Time coordinate of observation based on unit of time (seconds, hours, days) since a defined reference time. | {sec | hr | day} since YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS.xxx {+/- ZONE} | source_time | ||
sample_interval | Time period between observations. | seconds | sample_interval | ||
averaging_interval | Time periood over which several observations are averaged. | seconds | average_interval | ||
upward_wind | Up/Down component of wind vector. Up is positive. | m s-1 | z_wind | ||
surface | Upper 1-2 meters of an interface between two layers, commonly the sea surface. | surface | |||
skin | Upper millimeter to centimeter of a surface. | meter | skin | ||
vertical_current | Upward/Downward component of ocean current. Upward is positive. | cm s-1 | water_w | ||
spectral_reflectance | Upwelling irradiance (Eu) divided by downwelling radiance (Ed) at a specific spectral wavelength. | R | |||
remote_sensing_spectral_reflectance | Upwelling radiance (Lu) divided by downwelling radiance (Ed) at a specific spectral wavelength. | sr-1 | Rrs | ||
voltage | Voltage measurement of the battery | volts | volt | ||
bin_width | Width distance between bins | meters | bin_width | ||
longitude | X-coordinate of dependent observation in geographic coordinate. East is positive. Alternate definition: The angular distance east and west of the prime meridian (0° lon.), that runs through Greenwich, England. | degrees_east | lon | ||
latitude | Y-coordinate of dependent observation in geographic coordinate. North is positive. Alternate definition: The angular distance north and south of the equator, with the equator being 0° and the poles 90°. | degrees_north | lat | ||
altitude | Z-coordinate of observation in vertical distance above reference. Up is positive. | meter | altitude | ||
height | Z-coordinate of observation in vertical distance above reference. Up is positive. | meter | height | ||
depth | Z-coordinate of observation in vertical distance below reference. Down is positive. | 0.0 | 300.0 | meter/decibar | depth |
z | Z-coordinate of observation. Zero (z=0) is defined by reference. Up is positive. | meter | z | ||
cdom | colored (or chromophoric) dissolved organic matter, of riverine origin | mg/l or 1/m | cdom | ||
chl_concentration | concentration of chloropyll-a in a defined volume of water | ug L-1 (not kg m-3) | chl_conc | ||
electromagnetic_wavelength | specific frequency of energy within the electromagnetic spectrum. | m | wavelength | ||