Metadata Report for BODC Series Reference Number 1222996

• Metadata Summary

• Problem Reports

• Data Access Policy

• Narrative Documents

• Project Information

• Data Activity or Cruise Information

• Fixed Station Information

• BODC Quality Flags

• SeaDataNet Quality Flags

Metadata Summary

Problem Reports

No Problem Report Found in the Database

RRS James Clark Ross Cruise AMT8 (JR41) Underway Meteorology Data Quality Report

The relative wind data have not been corrected for ship's heading and speed, as no heading data were available.

On screening, it was clear that the air temperature data were not logged successfully as the data were all in the range 0 to 0.01. The solar radiation and PAR data also appeared to be suspect. As a result, these channels have been excluded from the data set.

Data Access Policy

Public domain data

These data have no specific confidentiality restrictions for users. However, users must acknowledge data sources as it is not ethical to publish data without proper attribution. Any publication or other output resulting from usage of the data should include an acknowledgment.

The recommended acknowledgment is

"This study uses data from the data source/organisation/programme, provided by the British Oceanographic Data Centre and funded by the funding body."

Narrative Documents

Vector Instruments cup anemometer

Instrument used to measure wind speed. The model is unknown. It is assumed to consist of a 3-cup rotor, a precision ball-race mounted shaft and internal modules and components to provide electrical output signals. The outline and mechanical design of Vector Instruments cup anemometers, common to the A100 series, has remained largely unchanged since the introduction of the original Porton Anemometer in 1972.

Vector Instruments wind vane

Instrument used to measure wind direction. The model is unknown. It is assumed to consist of a free-rotating fin that is mounted on a shaft and internal modules and components to provide electrical output signals.

Trimble 4000DS Global Positioning System receiver

The Trimble 4000DS Differential Surveyor is similar to the 4000RS (a Maxwell-based receiver that is oriented toward precision positioning applications. It is intended for use as a DGPS base station, generating RTCM-104 corrections). The 4000Ds can apply RTCM-104 corrections to the satellite data it receives in order to generate accurate position fixes in real time.

RRS James Clark Ross Cruise AMT8 (JR41) Underway Meteorology Instrumentation Document

The instrumentation has been collated from various sources as historic notation of instrumentation was not well maintained. Care may be required if making assumptions based on the instruments used.

The following instruments used for meteorological measurements:

RRS James Clark Ross Cruise AMT8 (JR41) Underway Meteorology Processing Document

Originator's Data Processing

Raw data were logged as ADC counts on the ship's computers. They were converted into engineering units using initial manufacturers' calibrations. Conductivity and two temperature channels were produced from the thermosalinograph counts using laboratory calibrations on board ship.

The data were submitted to BODC in RVS internal format for post-cruise processing and data banking.

BODC Data Processing

Reformatting

Underway data files were merged into a single binary merge file using time as the primary linking key. The time span of the file was from 23/04/1999 18:51 to 07/06/1999 08:02, with a sampling interval of 1 minute.

Screening

Each data channel was inspected on a graphics workstation and any spikes or periods of dubious data were flagged. The power of the workstation software was used to carry out comparative screening checks between channels by overlaying data channels. A map of the cruise track was simultaneously displayed in order to take account of the oceanographic context.

Data processing, correction and calibration

Relative wind speed and direction were logged from the meteorological package during the cruise. The ship's speed and heading channels were not available for this cruise, so the absolute wind speed and direction channels could not be computed.

Vaisala PA11 Digital Barometer

This barometer was discontinued in the 20th Century and little information remains. Information was requested from Vaisala who managed to supply a PA11A digital barometer brochure. One would expect the information in the brochure to not be too dissimilar to that expected of the PA11.

Project Information

The Atlantic Meridional Transect (AMT) - Phase 1 (1995-2000)

Who was involved in the project?

The Atlantic Meridional Transect (AMT) programme was designed by and implemented as a collaboration between Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) and Southampton Oceanography Centre (SOC). The programme was hosted by Plymouth Marine Laboratory and involved additional researchers from UK and international universities throughout its duration.

What was the project about?

When AMT began in 1995 the programme provided a platform for international scientific collaboration, including the calibration and validation of SeaWiFs measurements and products. The programme provided an exceptional opportunity for nationally and internationally driven collaborative research and provided a platform for excellent multi-disciplinary oceanographic research. As an in situ observation system, the data collected by the AMT consortium informed on changes in biodiversity and function of the Atlantic ecosystem during this period of rapid change to our climate and biosphere.

The scientific aims were to assess:

• mesoscale to basin scale phytoplankton processes
• the functional interpretation of bio-optical signatures
• the seasonal, regional and latitudinal variations in mesozooplankton dynamics

When was the project active?

The first phase of the AMT programme ran from 1995 to 2000 and consisted of a total of 12 cruises. A second phase of funding allowed the project to continue for the period 2002 to 2006 with a further 6 cruises.

Brief summary of the project fieldwork/data

The AMT programme undertook biological, chemical and physical oceanographic research during the annual return passage of the RRS James Clark Ross between the UK and the Falkland Islands or the RRS Discovery between the UK and Cape Town, a distance of up to 13,500 km. This transect crossed a range of ecosystems from sub-polar to tropical and from euphotic shelf seas and upwelling systems to oligotrophic mid-ocean gyres. The transect route was covered north-south in September/October and south-north in April/May of each year.

The measurements of hydrographic and bio-optical properties, plankton community structure and primary production completed on the first 12 transects (1995-2000) represent the most coherent set of repeated biogeochemical observations over ocean basin scales. This unique dataset has led to several important discoveries concerning the identification of oceanic provinces, validation of ocean colour algorithms, distributions of picoplankton, identifying new regional sinks of pCO2 and variability in rates of primary production and respiration.

Who funded the project?

The programme was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and further support was received from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) with equipment and funding from the Sea-viewing Wild Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) project.

Data Activity or Cruise Information

Cruise

Complete Cruise Metadata Report is available here

Fixed Station Information

No Fixed Station Information held for the Series

BODC Quality Control Flags

The following single character qualifying flags may be associated with one or more individual parameters with a data cycle:

SeaDataNet Quality Control Flags

The following single character qualifying flags may be associated with one or more individual parameters with a data cycle: