Metadata Report for BODC Series Reference Number 266535


Metadata Summary

Data Description

Data Category CTD or STD cast
Instrument Type
NameCategories
Bissett-Bermann 9040 CTD system  CTD; water temperature sensor; salinity sensor
Instrument Mounting research vessel
Originating Country United Kingdom
Originator -
Originating Organization Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory (now Scottish Association for Marine Science)
Processing Status banked
Project(s) -
 

Data Identifiers

Originator's Identifier LF189/075
BODC Series Reference 266535
 

Time Co-ordinates(UT)

Start Time (yyyy-mm-dd hh:mm) 1989-05-10 04:06
End Time (yyyy-mm-dd hh:mm) -
Nominal Cycle Interval -
 

Spatial Co-ordinates

Latitude 55.21660 N ( 55° 13.0' N )
Longitude 5.63330 W ( 5° 38.0' W )
Positional Uncertainty Unspecified
Minimum Sensor Depth 0.79 m
Maximum Sensor Depth 88.67 m
Minimum Sensor Height -
Maximum Sensor Height -
Sea Floor Depth -
Sensor Distribution Variable common depth - All sensors are grouped effectively at the same depth, but this depth varies significantly during the series
Sensor Depth Datum Instantaneous - Depth measured below water line or instantaneous water body surface
Sea Floor Depth Datum -
 

Parameters

BODC CODE Rank Units Title
PRESPR01 1 Decibars Pressure (spatial co-ordinate) exerted by the water body by profiling pressure sensor and corrected to read zero at sea level
PSALPR01 1 Dimensionless Practical salinity of the water body by conductivity cell and computation using UNESCO 1983 algorithm
TEMPST01 1 Degrees Celsius Temperature of the water body by CTD or STD
 

Definition of Rank

  • Rank 1 is a one-dimensional parameter
  • Rank 2 is a two-dimensional parameter
  • Rank 0 is a one-dimensional parameter describing the second dimension of a two-dimensional parameter (e.g. bin depths for moored ADCP data)

Problem Reports

No Problem Report Found in the Database


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

Bissett-Bermann 9040 Conductivity Temperature and Depth

The basic configuration of the B-B 9040 CTD incorporates pressure, temperature and conductivity sensors which could be logged digitally. This system also made it possible to derive other parameters, such as salinity, depth and sound velocity.

The instrument was versatile and it was possible to attach a dissolved oxygen sensor or to change the CTD housing, allowing it to obtain data from deeper layers in the water column. The accuracy for salinity is ±0.02 ppt , and ±0.02°C for temperature.

This instrument was also known as the Plessey 9040.

RV Lough Foyle Cruise 1/89 CTD Data Documentation

Introduction

Documentation for the CTD data collected on RV Lough Foyle Cruise 1/89 (May 1989) by the Scottish Marine Biological Association, Oban, Argyll, Scotland, UK, under the direction of D. J. Ellett.

Instrumentation

The instrument used was a Bissett Berman 9040 CTD system and the data were logged on a Hewlett Packard 9820 and stored in an integer format. Instrument lowering and raising speeds were between 0.5m/s and 1m/s. An acoustic pinger was bove the CTD to give an accurate depth measurement, this could then be used to check the CTD pressure calibration. An NIO bottle with reversing thermometers was placed above the pinger, within 2m of the CTD system. A bottle sample was taken at the bottom of the cast providing the temperature and salinity are uniform at that point. If large temperature or salinity gradients were present then the bottle sample was triggered at a suitable site on the upcast. A surface salinity sample was also taken at the start of the dip.

Calibration

The CTD was not calibrated in the laboratory. The manufacturer's calibration was used and water samples taken to check the calibration and apply corrections where necessary.

Temperature

The manufacturer's calibration was used to convert the raw data to to physical units using the equation below:

Temperature (°C) = (106/Pt -2238.68/55.84)

where Pt is the temperature period in microseconds

These values were then plotted against the water bottle (i.e. reversing thermometer) temperatures and a regression line fitted to the data such that:

Temperature(WB) = m x Temperature(CTD) + c

Then the regression coefficients (m and c) were applied to correct the CTD temperature data - these are given in the table below.

Conductivity

The manufacturer's calibration was used to convert the raw data to to physical units using the equation below:

Conductivity (mmho/cm) = (106/Pc - 4995)/58.12 + 10

where Pc is the conductivity period in microseconds

The water bottle salinities and corrected CTD temperatures were used to calculate the water bottle conductivity values. These values were then plotted against the CTD conductivities and a regression line fitted to the data such that:

Conductivity(WB) = m x Conductivity(CTD) + c

Then the regression coefficients were applied to correct the CTD conductivity data - these are given in the table below.

Pressure

The depths from the acoustic pinger were noted where the bottle samples were taken and then used to check the calibration of the pressure sensor - unless calibration values were available from the reversing thermometers. The equation below was used to convert the pressure period to physical units.

Pressure = (106/Pd - 9712)/0.26267

where Pd is the pressure period in microseconds

A regression fit was carried out using the calibration values and the slope and intercept determined. The pressure values could then be corrected using:

Pressure (CORR) = m x Pressure(CTD) + c

The fit of the CTD data to the water bottle calibration data is given in the table below:

Variable Slope (m) Intercept (c)
Temperature (°C) 1.0020932 0.023667
Conductivity (mmho/cm) 0.9975242 0.159913
Pressure (dbar) 1.0019225 13.206975

Data Processing

Obvious wild points were edited out of the calibration file and the calibration programs run to obtain values for the slopes and intercepts for temperature, pressure and conductivity. These were then applied to the uncalibrated data. Conductivities were converted to conductivity ratios and then converted to salinities using UNESCO recommended routines and sigma-t was calculated. The data values were then sieved to ensure a minimum separation between pressure values of 1 dbar. The data were then visually inspected and major spikes flagged.

References

Fofonoff, N.P. and Millard Jr., R.C. (1983).
Algorithms for the computation of fundamental properties of sea water. UNESCO Technical Paper on Marine Science 44.


Project Information


No Project Information held for the Series

Data Activity or Cruise Information

Cruise

Cruise Name LF1/89
Departure Date 1989-05-05
Arrival Date 1989-05-11
Principal Scientist(s)David J Ellett (Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory)
Ship RV Lough Foyle

Complete Cruise Metadata Report is available here


Fixed Station Information

Fixed Station Information

Station NameDML North Channel CTD Stations/Sections
CategoryOffshore area
Latitude54° 58.52' N
Longitude5° 32.50' W
Water depth below MSL

DML North Channel CTD Stations/Sections

The North Channel region, between Northern Ireland and the west coast of Scotland, has been extensively surveyed since the late 1970s (especially in the 1980s) by numerous research and government institutes. The region contains several repeated hydrographic stations, some of which collectively form transects. These repeated survey transects represent the southernmost part of a greater network of similar sections on the western Scottish continental shelf which were established by Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory (DML).

Map of standard North Channel CTD Stations

BODC image

Map produced using the GEBCO Digital Atlas.

The upwards-pointing triangles indicate the nominal positions of individual Line A stations, the single downwards-pointing triangle indicates the nominal position of the Larne - Stranraer midway station. Nominal positions of Line Y and Z stations are shown by the circles and squares respectively. Measurements made at Northern Channel CTD stations lie within a box bounded by co-ordinates 54.667° N, 6° W at the south west corner and 55.283° N, 5.083° W at the north east corner.

Nominal station details:

DML Line A: Kintyre (Scotland) - Antrim (Northern Ireland)

DML Station LS: Larne (Northern Ireland) - Stranraer (Scotland) midway station

DML Line Y: Corsewall (Stranraer, Scotland) - Sanda Island (Kintyre, Scotland)

DML Line Z: Copeland Islands (Northern Ireland) - Portpatrick (Scotland)

Other Series linked to this Fixed Station for this cruise - 266479 266480 266492 266511 266523 266547 266559 266560 266572 266584 266596 266603 266615 266627 266639 380277

Other Cruises linked to this Fixed Station (with the number of series) - CD10B (16) CD44 (1) CH1/85 (16) CH10/81 (4) CH10/84 (14) CH11/83 (11) CH14 (16) CH2/84 (19) CH25 (16) CH30 (16) CH4/85 (16) CH7A/83 (10) CH8/85 (16) CH86B (15) CH9 (9) CH97 (16) DSK1/86 (18) FR13/85 (14) FR13/87 (12) FR14A/87 (6) FR14B/87 (9) FR7B/86 (5) FR8/86 (14) GTH1/88 (7) LF1/89 (16) LF2/89 (16)

Fixed Station Information

Station NameDML Line Y
CategoryOffshore route/traverse

DML Line Y

Line Y is a survey section in the North Channel, between Stranraer and Kintyre, on the west coast of Scotland. The line comprises five fixed CTD stations, which were established as part of routine monitoring work on the Scottish continental shelf by Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory (DML). The line was occupied in the 1980s and 1990s. .

Nominal station details

DML Line Y: Corsewall (Stranraer, Scotland) - Sanda Island (Kintyre, Scotland)

Station Nominal latitude Nominal longitude Approx.
depth (m)
Comment
1Y 54 57.0' N 05 14.0' W 42 Corsewall Point
2Y 55 01.0' N 05 20.0' W 100  
3Y 55 05.0' N 05 26.0' W 100  
4Y 55 09.0' N 05 32.0' W 110  
5Y 55 13.0' N 05 38.0' W 90  

Other Series linked to this Fixed Station for this cruise - 266547 266559 266560 266572

Other Cruises linked to this Fixed Station (with the number of series) - CD10B (5) CH1/85 (5) CH10/84 (1) CH14 (5) CH2/84 (2) CH25 (5) CH30 (5) CH4/85 (5) CH8/85 (5) CH86B (4) CH9 (4) CH97 (5) DSK1/86 (7) FR13/85 (5) FR13/87 (5) FR14B/87 (5) FR8/86 (4) LF1/89 (4) LF2/89 (5)

Fixed Station Information

Station NameDML Line Y Station 5Y
CategoryOffshore location
Latitude55° 13.00' N
Longitude5° 38.00' W
Water depth below MSL90.0 m

DML Station 5Y

Station 5Y is one of five fixed CTD stations between Stranraer and Kintyre in Scotland, established by scientists at Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory (DML).

Other Cruises linked to this Fixed Station (with the number of series) - CD10B (1) CH1/85 (1) CH14 (1) CH25 (1) CH30 (1) CH4/85 (1) CH8/85 (1) CH9 (1) CH97 (1) DSK1/86 (2) FR13/85 (1) FR13/87 (1) FR14B/87 (1) FR8/86 (1) LF2/89 (1)


BODC Quality Control Flags

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

Flag Description
Blank Unqualified
< Below detection limit
> In excess of quoted value
A Taxonomic flag for affinis (aff.)
B Beginning of CTD Down/Up Cast
C Taxonomic flag for confer (cf.)
D Thermometric depth
E End of CTD Down/Up Cast
G Non-taxonomic biological characteristic uncertainty
H Extrapolated value
I Taxonomic flag for single species (sp.)
K Improbable value - unknown quality control source
L Improbable value - originator's quality control
M Improbable value - BODC quality control
N Null value
O Improbable value - user quality control
P Trace/calm
Q Indeterminate
R Replacement value
S Estimated value
T Interpolated value
U Uncalibrated
W Control value
X Excessive difference