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

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.

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.