The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has released the World Ocean Database 2009, a collection of scientific information about the oceans with records dating as far back as 1800. This product is part of the climate services provided by NOAA.
The 2009 database, updated from the 2005 edition, is significantly larger providing about 9.1 million temperature profiles and 3.5 million salinity reports. The 2009 database also captures 29 categories of scientific information from the oceans, including oxygen levels and chemical tracers, plus information on gases and isotopes that can be used to trace the movement of ocean currents.
Climate scientists use the World Ocean Database to track changing conditions which adds to the international science community's understanding of global climate change. Forecast centers, such as NOAA’s Ocean Prediction Center, also use the information for quality control of real-time oceanographic information.
The database is projected as a reliable source of oceanic information, and a crucial part of the Integrated Ocean Observing System and the Global Earth Observation System of Systems. The information was compiled by scientists at the Ocean Climate Laboratory, part of the NOAA Satellite and Information Service.
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