Metadata Report for BODC Series Reference Number 1039281

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

Data Description

Data Category

Currents -subsurface Eulerian

Instrument Type

Name	Categories
SonTek Argonaut moored 3D doppler current meter	current meters

Instrument Mounting

subsurface mooring

Originating Country

United Kingdom

Originator

Ms Sarah Hughes

Originating Organization

Fisheries Research Services Aberdeen Marine Laboratory (now Marine Scotland Aberdeen Marine Laboratory)

Processing Status

banked

Online delivery of data

Download available - Ocean Data View (ODV) format

Project(s)

Data Identifiers

Originator's Identifier	769/1
BODC Series Reference	1039281

Time Co-ordinates(UT)

Start Time (yyyy-mm-dd hh:mm)	2008-12-11 15:40
End Time (yyyy-mm-dd hh:mm)	2009-01-21 04:20
Nominal Cycle Interval	300.0 seconds

Spatial Co-ordinates

Latitude	56.21433 N ( 56° 12.9' N )
Longitude	5.81500 W ( 5° 48.9' W )
Positional Uncertainty	0.05 to 0.1 n.miles
Minimum Sensor or Sampling Depth	27.0 m
Maximum Sensor or Sampling Depth	27.0 m
Minimum Sensor or Sampling Height	1.0 m
Maximum Sensor or Sampling Height	1.0 m
Sea Floor Depth	28.0 m
Sea Floor Depth Source	-
Sensor or Sampling Distribution	Fixed common depth - All sensors are grouped effectively at the same depth which is effectively fixed for the duration of the series
Sensor or Sampling Depth Datum	Instantaneous - Depth measured below water line or instantaneous water body surface
Sea Floor Depth Datum	Instantaneous - Depth measured below water line or instantaneous water body surface

Parameters

BODC CODE	Rank	Units	Title
AADYAA01	1	Days	Date (time from 00:00 01/01/1760 to 00:00 UT on day)
AAFDZZ01	1	Days	Time (time between 00:00 UT and timestamp)
LCDAEL01	1	Degrees True	Direction (towards) of water current (Eulerian measurement) in the water body by in-situ current meter and correction to true North
LCSAEL01	1	Centimetres per second	Speed of water current (Eulerian measurement) in the water body by in-situ current meter
TEMPPR01	1	Degrees Celsius	Temperature of the water body

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

SonTek Argonaut-MD Acoustic Doppler Current Meter

This instrument is a 3D, vector averaging current meter with low power consumption allowing deployments of up to 2 years. It does not require calibration, has no moving parts, no threshold velocity and can be fitted with optional pressure and temperature sensors, Sea-Bird SeaCAT or an inductive modem. It uses a fixed measurement volume centered 1.25 m from the instrument for 3 MHz systems (2.0 m for 1.5 MHz systems) and is housed in a single canister (either Deltrin or Titanium) with internal memory and batteries. It can be clamped to the mooring line or mounted within a mooring cage.

Standard Features

Optimized 45° slant, 120° orthogonal beam geometry for 3D current measurements without directional bias

1.5 MHz acoustic frequency

600 m rated Delrin housing with 40mm transducers

Reflected echo intensity output

RS 232 communication protocol

ViewArgonaut Windows software allowing real time data collection, data retrieval, diagnostics and processing

Internal memory

Compass/tilt sensor

Internal alkaline battery pack

Optional Features

6000m rated titanium housing with 40mm ceramics

20 mm transducers (Delrin only)

Integrated external CT sensor

Integrated internal inductive modem

Mounting clamps

Internal piezoresistive pressure sensor

In-line load cage

RS 422 communications protocol

Specifications

Velocity
Range	± 6 m/s
Resolution	0.1 cm/s
Accuracy	± 1% of measured velocity, ± 0.5 cm/s
Data Output	User programmable from 10 seconds to 12 hours
Temperature Sensor
Resolution	0.01°C
Accuracy	± 0.1°C
Compass/Tilt Sensor
Resolution	Heading, Pitch, Roll 0.1°
Accuracy	Heading ± 2°
Accuracy	Pitch, Roll ± 1°
Physical and Environmental
Operating temperature	-5°C to 40°C
Storage Temperature	-10°C to 50°C
Weight in air	5.6 kg/12.5 lb (Delrin housing)
	11.8 kg/26 lb (Titanium housing)
Power
Input power	6-16 VDC
Typical power consumption	0.2-03 W (continuous operation)
	0.001 W (stand-by)
Battery capacity (alkaline)	368 W-hr

Further information is available at http://www.sontek.com or can be found in the manufacturer's specification sheet.

BODC Processing

Data were received in ASCII format files. The series were reformatted to QXF (a netCDF format) using the BODC transfer function 325. The following table shows how the variables within the file were mapped to the appropriate BODC parameter codes.

Original parameter name	Original Units	BODC Parameter Code	BODC Units	Comments
Time	DD/MM/YYYY HH:MI (GMT)	AADYAA01, AAFDZZ01	day number, day fraction	Conversion by transfer
Eastward and northward current velocity (u + v)	cm/s	LCDAEL01 (direction), LCSAEL01 (speed)	°, cm/s	Converted by transfer to current direction (Eulerian) in the water column by in-situ current meter and correction to true North, and current speed (Eulerian) in the water column by in-situ current meter
Temperature	°C	TEMPPR01	°C

Following transfer to QXF, the data were screened using BODC's in-house visualisation software, EDSERPLO. Any data considered as suspect were flagged accordingly. Flags from the originator marking suspect data were retained during transfer.

Originator's Data Processing

Marine Scotland applied the standard manufacturers' calibrations to all current, temperature and salinity data and produced ASCII files for submission to BODC. Data files (.hmo) were named according to the mooring code and the instrument number. Each current meter file contained eastward and northward velocities and temperature. In cases where the temperature data ran for longer than the current data, the temperature records were saved as separate files appended 't'. Salinity data for each instrument were contained in files appended 's'. Header metadata were collated in additional files (.frm). Speed/Direction distributions (.csd) and harmonic analyses files (.lpr) for the current meter data were also generated.

Project Information

No Project Information held for the Series

Data Activity or Cruise Information

Data Activity

Start Date (yyyy-mm-dd)	2008-12-11
End Date (yyyy-mm-dd)	2009-03-19
Organization Undertaking Activity	Fisheries Research Services Aberdeen Marine Laboratory (now Marine Scotland Aberdeen Marine Laboratory)
Country of Organization	United Kingdom
Originator's Data Activity Identifier	769
Platform Category	subsurface mooring

FRS SONTEK current meter (769) from the Firth of Lorn

A SONTEK Argonaut MD current meter was deployed by Marine Scotland, Aberdeen Marine Laboratory in the Firth of Lorn (56° 12.86'N, 05° 48.90'W) on 11/12/2008 during MV Farsain cruise DP0408. The mooring was recovered on 19/03/2009. The station had a nominal water depth of 28m.

The mooring consisted of the following instruments

Instrument type	Series Number	Serial Number	Deployment start	Deployment end	Instrument depth (m)	No. Readings/Hour	Comments
SONTEK Argonaut MD	7691	D594	11/12/2008	19/03/2009	27	12	Short record due to lack of memory

Cruise

Cruise Name	DP0408
Departure Date	2008-12-03
Arrival Date	2008-12-11
Principal Scientist(s)	Michael Breen (Fisheries Research Services Aberdeen Marine Laboratory)
Ship	MV Farsain

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:

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

SeaDataNet Quality Control Flags