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: https://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 |
| beam1_echo_intensity | Measure of the echo intensity returning to beam 1 from the ADCP transmit pulse | 0 | 200 | db | beam1_echo |
| beam1_velocity | Current velocity measured parallel to the path of beam 1 | -300 | 300 | cm s-1 | beam1_vel |
| beam2_echo_intensity | Measure of the echo intensity returning to beam 2 from the ADCP transmit pulse | 0 | db | beam2_echo | |
| beam2_velocity | Current velocity measured parallel to the path of beam 2 | cm s-1 | beam2_vel | ||
| beam3_echo_intensity | Measure of the echo intensity returning to beam 3 from the ADCP transmit pulse | 0 | 200 | db | beam3_echo |
| beam3_velocity | Current velocity measured parallel to the path of beam 3 | cm s-1 | beam3_vel | ||
| beam4_echo_intensity | Measure of the echo intensity returning to beam 4 from the ADCP transmit pulse | 0 | 200 | db | beam4_echo |
| beam4_velocity | Current velocity measured parallel to the path of beam 4 | cm s-1 | beam4_vel | ||
| bin_direction | Current direction of bin | 0 | 360 | cm s-1 | bin_dir |
| bin_u_vector | East/West component of bin vector. Eastward is positive. | cm s-1 | bin_u | ||
| bin_velocity | Current velocity of bin | cm s-1 | bin_vel | ||
| bin_v_vector | North/South component of bin vector. Northward is positive. | cm s-1 | bin_v | ||
| bin_width | Width distance between bins | meters | bin_width | ||
| bottom_tracking_depth | Distance to sea floor determined by a series of long pulses sent out from ADCP | meters | btm_track_depth | ||
| btm_track_heading | Heading in degrees to by a series of long pulses sent out from ADCP | degrees | btm_track_hdg | ||
| initial_bin_distance | Distance from instrument to first bin measurement | meters | init_bin_dist | ||
| number_adcp_beams | Number of directionally independent beams of the ADCP | 2 | 6 | number_beams | |
| number_profile_bins | Number of uniformely spaced depth cells where data is collected | number_bins | |||
| air_density | Mass of air per unit volume. | kg m-3 | air density | ||
| air_pressure | Pressure exerted by overlying air. | 822 | 1040 | hPa | air_press |
| air_temperature | Temperature of air (in situ). | 10 | 38 | celsius | air_temp |
| albedo | Fraction of downward radiation that is reflected or scattered | 0 | 1 | alb | |
| cloud_cover | Percent of sky covered by clouds of all types. | 0 | 100 | percent | cloud cover |
| dew_point_temperature | Temperature at which air begins to condense. | celsius | dew_point | ||
| downward_longwave_radiation | Downward IR radiation. Positive is downward. | 250 | 450 | W m-2 | Q_dlw |
| downward_shortwave_radiation | Downward solar insolation. Positive is downward. | 0 | 1400 | W m-2 | Q_dsw |
| eastward_wind | East/West component of wind vector. Eastward wind is positive. | m s-1 | east_wind | ||
| eastward_wind_stress | East/West component of wind stress. Eastward is positive. | N m-2 | tau_x | ||
| latent_heat_flux | Evaporative exchange of heat from the atmosphere to the ocean. Positive is downward. | W m-2 | Q_latent | ||
| mixing_ratio | The ratio of mass of water vapor to the mass of dry air in the sample. | g kg-1 | mix | ||
| net_heat_flux | Combined net shortwave, net longwave, sensible and latent heat fluxes. Positive is downward. | W m-2 | Q_net | ||
| 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 | 1400 | W m-2 | Q_sw |
| northward_wind | North/South component of wind vector. Northward wind is positive. | m s-1 | north_wind | ||
| northward_wind_stress | North/South component of wind stress. Northward is positive. | N m-2 | tau_y | ||
| 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 | ||
| relative_humidity | Amount of moisture in the air as vapor relative to how much it can possibly hold at the same temperature. | 0 | 105 | precent | rel_humid |
| relative_wind_from_direction | Direction from which wind is blowing relative to a moving platform, e.g. ship. | 0 | 360 | degrees_true | rel_wnddirec |
| relative_wind_speed | Magnitude of wind velocity relative to a moving platform, e.g. ship. | 0 | 70 | m s-1 | rel_wndspd |
| sensible_heat_flux | Conductive or convective exchange of heat from the atmosphere to the ocean. Positive is downward. | W m-2 | Q_sensible | ||
| upward_wind | Up/Down component of wind vector. Up is positive. | m s-1 | z_wind | ||
| wet_bulb_temperature | Temperature of evaporative cooling. | celsius | wet_bulb_temp | ||
| wind_from_direction | Direction from which wind is blowing. Meteorological Convention. | 0 | 360 | degrees_true | wdir |
| wind_gust | Maximum instantaneous wind speed (usually no more than but not limited to 10 seconds) within a sample averaging interval. | 0 | 250 | m s-1 | wgust |
| wind_speed | Magnitude of wind velocity. | 0 | 150 | m s-1 | wspd |
| wind_stress | Magnitude of wind stress. Wind stress is the force of wind imposed on a unit area. | N m-2 | tau | ||
| wind_stress_to_direction | Direction toward which wind stress is acting. | degrees_true | tau_dir | ||
| wind_to_direction | Direction toward which wind is blowing. Oceanographic convention. | 0 | 360 | degrees_true | wdir |
| conductivity | Ability of a material to pass an electrical current. Inverse of resistance. | siemens | uS | cond | ||
| current_speed | Magnitude of velocity of ocean current. | 0 | 360 | cm s-1 | c_spd |
| current_to_direction | Direction towards which ocean current is going. | 0 | 360 | degrees_true | c_dir |
| eastward_current | East/West component of ocean current. Eastward is positive. | cm s-1 | water_u | ||
| northward_current | North/South component of ocean current. Northward is positive. | cm s-1 | water_v | ||
| salinity | Measure of salt content of a seawater sample follows UNESCO standards; approximately parts per thousand. | 20 | 38 | PSS or PSU or PPT | salinity |
| sea_surface_elevation | Height or altitude of the sea surface above specified reference. | meter | surf_el | ||
| signifcant_wave_height | Average height of the highest one-third of the waves. | meter | sig_wv_ht | ||
| signifcant_wave_to_direction | Significant wave direction. | degrees_true | sig_wv_dir | ||
| significant_wave_period | Period of the significant wave. | second | sig_wv_per | ||
| sound_velocity | Magnitude of velocity of sound in water. | m s-1 | sound_velocity | ||
| specific_conductance | Ability of a specific volume (1 cubic centimeter) of water to pass an electrical current. | uS cm-1 | sp_cond | ||
| 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 | ||
| swell_period | Period of the swells. | second | swell_per | ||
| swell_to_direction | Direction the swell is coming from. | degrees_true | swell_dir | ||
| vertical_current | Upward/Downward component of ocean current. Upward is positive. | cm s-1 | water_w | ||
| water_density | Mass of water per unit volume | kg m-3 | density | ||
| water_pressure | Amount of pressure caused by overlying water column. | Pa | bar | dbar | atm | water_press | ||
| wave_steepness | Measure of departure from typical wave slope. | steepness | |||
| 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 | ||
| wind_wave_period | Period of wind-waves. | second | wind_wv_per | ||
| wind_wave_to_direction | Direction the wind-waves are coming from. | degrees_true | wind_wv_dir | ||
| bw_irradiance | Irradiance for black body and white light source. | W m-2 | bw_irrad | ||
| bw_radiance | Radiance for black body and white light source. | W m-2 sr-1 | bw_rad | ||
| downwelling_irradiance | Irradiance from above. | W m-2 m-1 | Ed | ||
| downwelling_longwave_irradiance | Integrated downwelling irradiance for spectral wavelengths greater than 700nm. | W m-2 | pir_irrad | ||
| downwelling_radiance | Radiance from below. | W m-2 m-1 sr-1 | Ld | ||
| downwelling_shortwave_irradiance | Integrated downwelling irradiance for spectral wavelengths less than 700nm. | W m-2 | psp_irrad | ||
| 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 | ||
| electromagnetic_wavelength | specific frequency of energy within the electromagnetic spectrum. | m | wavelength | ||
| 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 | ||
| photosynthetically_available_radiation | Integrated downwelling irradiance for wavelengths from 400 to 700nm. | W m-2 | PAR | ||
| remote_sensing_spectral_reflectance | Upwelling radiance (Lu) divided by downwelling radiance (Ed) at a specific spectral wavelength. | sr-1 | Rrs | ||
| spectral_irradiance | Light energy of specific wavelength from all directions at a point and time in space. | W m-2 m-1 | E | ||
| 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_reflectance | Upwelling irradiance (Eu) divided by downwelling radiance (Ed) at a specific spectral wavelength. | R | |||
| turbidity | Measure of light scattering due to suspended material in water. | NTU | turb | ||
| upwelling_irradiance | Irradiance from below | W m-2 m-1 | Eu | ||
| upwelling_radiance | Radiance from above. | W m-2 m-1 sr-1 | Lu | ||
| visibility | Greatest distance an object can be seen and identified. Usually refering to visibility in air but could be other medium. | m | visibility | ||
| water_leaving_radiance | Radiance from below, leaving the water surface. | W m-2 m-1 sr-1 | Luw | ||
| voltage | Voltage measurement of the battery | volts | volt | ||
| beam_echo_intensity | Measure of the echo intensity returning to beam 1 from the ADCP transmit pulse | 0 | 200 | db | beam_echo |
| beam_velocity | Current velocity measured parallel to the path of an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler beam | -300 | 300 | cm s-1 | beam_vel |
| water_temperature | In situ water temperature | 5 | 35 | celsius | wtemp |
| 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 | ||
| nitrate_concentration | Measured nitrate concentration in the immediate environment | ug L-1 | nitrate | ||
| oxygen_concentration | Concentration in water of dissolved oxygen. | ug L-1 | oxygen_concen | ||
| oxygen_saturation | Concentration at which oxygen becomes saturated in water. | ug L-1 | oxygen_sat | ||
| altitude | Z-coordinate of observation in vertical distance above reference. Up is positive. | meter | altitude | ||
| bottom | Ocean bottom. | bottom | |||
| depth | Z-coordinate of observation in vertical distance below reference. Down is positive. | 0 | 300 | meter/decibar | depth |
| gps_elevation | Elevation from where the GPS reading was made | km | gps_elev | ||
| height | Z-coordinate of observation in vertical distance above reference. Up is positive. | meter | height | ||
| 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 | ||
| latitude_degrees | Integer degrees of latitude | degrees_north | lat_deg | ||
| latitude_hemisphere | Northern or Southern hemisphere | N | S | lat_hem | ||
| latitude_minutes | Fraction of latitude degree divided by 60. | 0 | 60 | angular_minute | lat_min |
| latitude_seconds | Fraction of lat_min divided by 60. | 0 | 60 | angular_second | lat_sec |
| 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 | ||
| longitude_degrees | Integer degrees of longitude | degrees_east | lon_deg | ||
| longitude_hemisphere | Eastern or Western hemisphere | E | W | lon_hem | ||
| longitude_minutes | Fraction of longitude degree divided by 60. | 0 | 60 | angular_minute | lon_min |
| longitude_seconds+A151 | Fraction of lon_min divided by 60. | 0 | 60 | angular_second | lon_sec |
| skin | Upper millimeter to centimeter of a surface. | meter | skin | ||
| surface | Upper 1-2 meters of an interface between two layers, commonly the sea surface. | surface | |||
| z | Z-coordinate of observation. Zero (z=0) is defined by reference. Up is positive. | meter | z | ||
| averaging_interval | Time periood over which several observations are averaged. | seconds | average_interval | ||
| 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 | ||
| day_of_year | Number of days since day 1 of reference year. | 0 | 366 | days | doy |
| sample_interval | Time period between observations. | seconds | sample_interval | ||
| 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 | ||
| time | Time coordinate of observation based on number of seconds since the defined reference time. | sec since 1970-1-1 00:00:00 | time | ||