Remotely Operated Towed Vehicle (ROTV) - Ocean Monitoring Program
About this dataset
Quarterly surveys of physical, chemical, and biological parameters in ocean water using a Remotely Operated Towed Vehicle (ROTV).
The City’s Ocean Monitoring Program (OMP) conducts quarterly surveys using a ROTV. The ROTV houses multiple sensors used to monitor physical, chemical, and biological parameters to assess water quality and the fate of treated wastewater effluent across the San Diego coastline with high spatial resolution. In the initial phase of ROTV monitoring, efforts were focused on corroborating ROTV data against traditional water quality monitoring data by surveying across the traditional sampling grid. Future surveys will be conducted adaptively with monitoring efforts focused on the location of the treated wastewater effluent, when observable.
Please note: ROTV data have been preliminarily reviewed by Marine Biology and Ocean Operations staff using automated checks and some manual review. Inaccuracies in the data may persist due to subtle instrument problems or the lack of appropriate validation data, and subsequent review may result in future revisions to the data. See ROTV parameter definitions for a description of variables by file name and for data qualifier (QARTOD flag) definitions. Data qualified as “bad” or “suspect” have been excluded from this dataset.
Get the data
Browse the table below for all files available for this dataset
Data Downloads
| File name | Download actions | File Format | File size |
|---|---|---|---|
| ROTV Sample Results | Download |
CSV |
16.20 MB |
View a data sample
Showing 1 transposed sample row. Download the full dataset or a view to get the data.
Data Sample
| Field | Sample Value |
|---|---|
| sample_date | 11/4/20 |
| depth_rotv | 5.269 |
| time | 12:11:54.381 |
| depth_bottom | 9.2 |
| station | I32 |
| station_dist | 0.046525009 |
| depth_contour | 9m |
| parameter | BOD_V |
| value | 0.514 |
| qartod_flag | 2 |
Understand the data
Each field in the data is defined in the table below. Use this information to inform usage of the data.
Download dictionaryData Dictionary
| field | Description | Possible_values |
|---|---|---|
| Project | Indicator of survey region. Surveys occur in the vicinity of either the Point Loma Ocean Outfall (PLOO) or the South Bay Ocean Outfall (SBOO). | PLOO,SBOO |
| Date | Date of the survey in format yyyy-mm-dd | |
| Time | Time of the sensor reading in format HH:MM:SS | |
| Latitude | Latitude in decimal degrees | |
| Longitude | Longitude in decimal degrees | |
| Depth | Depth of the sensor at the time of reading in meters. Sensor readings taken in the upper 2 meters of the water column are removed as very shallow readings are commonly associated with interference from bubbles; surf; and floating debris. | |
| Transect.Depth | Approximate depth of the sea floor in the location of the ROTV at the time of sensor reading | |
| Temperature | Temperature in degrees Celsius. Values below 7 or above 25 are considered suspect and removed from the dataset. | |
| Salinity | Salinity in practical salinity units. Values below 28 or above 34.5 are considered suspect and removed from the dataset. | |
| Oxygen_Sbe | Dissolved oxygen in milligrams per liter. Values below 0 and above 15 are considered suspect and removed from the dataset. | |
| CDOM_WetStar | Colored dissolved organic matter as measured by a Seabird WetStar sensor in parts per billion. Values below or equal to 0 or values above 10 are considered suspect and removed from the dataset. | |
| CDOM_Turner | Colored dissolved organic matter as measured by a Turner brand sensor in parts per billion. Values below or equal to 0 or values above 10 are considered suspect and removed from the dataset. | |
| Chlorophyll_Turner | Chlorophyll as measured by a Turner brand sensor in micrograms per liter. Values below 0 or above 50 are considered suspect and removed from the dataset. | |
| Optical Brightener_Turner | Optical brightener (a common component of laundry detergent) in parts per billion. Values below 0 or above 150 are considered suspect and removed from the dataset. | |
| Tryptophan_Turner | Tryptophan-like fluorescence (an organic waste indicator) as measured by a Turner brand sensor in parts per billion. | |
| Chlorophyll_Seaowl | Chlorophyll as measured by a Seabird Seaowl sensor in micrograms per liter. Values below 0 or above 50 are considered suspect and removed from the dataset. | |
| FDOM_Seaowl | Fluorescent dissolved organic matter as measured by a Seabird Seaowl in parts per billion | |
| Additional Information | Data have undergone preliminary quality control to remove obvious cases of data dropout and values outside established regional climatic ranges. No ROTV data were collected in 2023 due to staffing limitations; vessel maintenance requirements; and participation in the Bight 2023 regional monitoring program which precluded ROTV sampling. Sensors have been added and removed over the course of the monitoring program. Empty fields may indicate that a sensor was not deployed at the time of sampling or that available measurements did not pass preliminary quality control. See parameter descriptions for approximate sensor deployment dates. |
- PublisherPublic Utilities
- Last Updated Sep 10, 2023
- Update Frequency As needed
- Date Issued Nov 15, 2022
- Available Formats .CSV
- License View License
Data & Analytics
data@sandiego.gov