Metadata Report for BODC Series Reference Number 1043439
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
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Time Co-ordinates(UT) |
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Parameters |
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Problem Reports
No Problem Report Found in the Database
BODC Processing
Data were received in NetCDF, with one file for each day of operation (eg: uol_dust_D317_20070321.nc). Each file included serial date and time, particle counts for the bulk aerosol sample, size-resolved particle counts in 14 size fractions, and particle size classes defined by the median equivalent spherical diameter. Size fractions were redefined by the upper bound of equivalent spherical diameter, as reported by the instrument manufacturer, to be consistent with other aerosol size spectra held at BODC. No position data were supplied with the Dust Monitor data. Latitude and longitude were merged into the data files, by BODC, from the screened and processed cruise navigation file, matching on time.
Parameter codes defined in the BODC parameter dictionary were mapped to the variables as follows:
| Originator's Parameter | Unit | Description | BODC Parameter Code | Unit | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Particle_density | ml-1 | Abundance (in size class) of particles per unit volume of the atmosphere [aerosol ambient humidity phase] by particle sizer | OPCAAER1 | ml-1 | none |
| Diameter | µm | Size class maximum size (equivalent spherical diameter) by particle sizer | OPCABIN1 | nm | Banked data defined by upper bound of size category in common with other aerosol size spectra held by BODC. Unit conversion applied. |
| Concentration | ml-1 | Abundance of particles per unit volume of the atmosphere [aerosol phase] by in-situ particle counter | OPCBAER1 | ml-1 | none |
| Latitude | Degrees | Latitude north (WGS84) by unspecified GPS system | ALATGP01 | Degrees | Merged from navigation file by BODC |
| Longitude | Degrees | Longitude east (WGS84) by unspecified GPS system | ALONGP01 | Degrees | Merged from navigation file by BODC |
The data were banked according to BODC standard procedures for series data. Once tagged with the appropriate parameter code, the data were loaded into BODC Series Database.
Data Quality Report
It was noted in the cruise report that on 29/03/2007, atmospheric sampling was affected by stack contamination for most of the day, while wind was from starboard aft. During BODC screening of dust monitor data, the period 10:21-19:56 29/03/2007 was identified as particularly noisy, and associated with winds from starboard aft. The affected data have been flagged as suspect.
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
GRIMM 1.108 Aerosol Spectrometer
The GRIMM 1.108 Aerosol Spectrometer is a small, portable unit used for the continuous measurement of aerosols. Measurements are determined in either particle counts per unit volume, or mass per unit volume.
Ambient air is drawn into the instrument by a volume controlled pump, at 1.2 L min-1. Particles are size classified by a Differential Mobility Analyser (DMA), then counted by an Optical Particle Counter (OPC). The DMA neutralises the electrostatic charges of incoming particles, then imparts a charge to them. In the electrical field of the classifier, the particle trajectory is determined by the charge/mass ratio. Only particles within a narrow size range have the trajectory to exit the classifier to the OPC. As sequential size classes are counted, they are deposited on a 47 mm PTFE filter. The entire sample is deposited on the filter, which may be removed for subsequent gravimetric or chemical analysis.
Instrument specifications
| Particle size bounds | 0.23/0.30/0.40/0.50/0.65/0.80/1.0/1.6/2.0/3.0/4.0/5.0/7.5/10/15/20 µm |
| Count range | 1 to 2,000,000 l-1 |
| Mass range | 0.1 to 100,000 µg m-3 |
| Size channels | 16 channel sizes, mass in µg m-3, and l-1 |
| Count range | 1 to 2,000,000 counts per filter |
| Sample flow rate | 1.2 l min-1, flow controlled |
| Reproducibility | ± 2 % |
| Filter size | 47 mm |
| Operating temperature range | 4 °C to 45 °C |
Physical parameters
| Dimensions | 24 x 12 x 6 cm |
| Weight | 2.4 kg |
| Input/Output | 1 x RS 232, 3 x analogue |
| Power Requirements | Battery or 110/220 VAC with external power supply |
Further details can be found on the manufacturer's website.
Originator's Data Processing
Aerosol size spectra were measured using a GRIMM Aerosol Technik GmbH & Co. aerosol spectrometer, Model 1.108. The GRIMM aerosol spectrometer is commonly referred to, by users, as the Dust Monitor. It was one of suite of instruments deployed by the University of Leeds to measure ambient aerosol properties. A 2 inch sample line mounted on the mast above the monkey island supplied, via isokinetic sampling ports, the Dust Monitor and the following, other instruments: a PMS Passive Cavity Spectrometer Probe (PCASP), a Magee Scientific aethalometer, a TSI Aerosol Time of Flight Mass Spectrometer (ATOFMS), and the Leeds Volatile Aerosol Concentration and Composition (VACC) instrument.
Sampling was alternated between the Dust Monitor and the VACC. The VACC was programmed to operate over a 15 minute (approx.) heating cycle. The Dust Monitor sampled for about 5 minutes of each VACC cycle. The instrument was run in its "fast-mode", returning size spectra at 6 second intervals, and in particle count mode. The spectrometer resolves 15 particle size classes, of which the smallest class (0.23-0.30 µm) was not recorded explicitly.
Further details of sampling strategy and methodology for this, and other D317 data sets, are available from the official SEASAW D317 cruise report.
Project Information
Surface Ocean Lower Atmosphere Study
The Surface Ocean-Lower Atmosphere Study (SOLAS) is an international research initiative comprising over 1500 scientists in 23 countries. Its central goal is to understand the biogeochemical-physical interactions between the ocean and atmosphere, and how their coupling affects, and is affected by climate change.
UK SOLAS, Field Observations of Sea Spray, Gas Fluxes and Whitecaps (SEASAW)
This project was led by the University of Leeds, in association with the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, and the University of the Highlands and Islands.
Sea spray aerosol particles, generated primarily by the action of the wind on the ocean surface, make a major contribution to the atmospheric aerosol over the global oceans. Their ability to participate in heterogeneous atmospheric chemical processes and especially their activity as cloud condensation nuclei make them very important in global climate processes. Similarly, the air-sea fluxes of trace gases, are influenced by wind speed and whitecap processes. The flux of carbon dioxide between atmosphere and ocean is a controlling factor on the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere, but there are large uncertainties in the size of the flux as a function of wind speed; and the effects of factors such as wave breaking, surfacants, etc are almost entirely unknown.
SEASAW aimed to measure gas and particle fluxes across the air-sea interface by direct eddy-covariance methods and other techniques in order to determine their dependence on environmental factors.
Fieldwork comprised one dedicated open ocean research cruise: D317, and participation in another UK SOLAS cruise: D313. The observational data include:
- sea state, whitecapping and wave breaking
- bubble properties
- air-sea gas fluxes
- aerosol properties
More detailed information on this project may be found in the official cruise reports for D313 and D317.
Grant reference:
NE/C001869/1
Weblinks:
Funding: UKRI Gateway to Research
UK Surface Ocean Lower Atmosphere Study
The UK Surface Ocean Lower Atmosphere Study (UK SOLAS) is the UK's contribution to the international SOLAS programme.
UK SOLAS formed interdisciplinary teams to address three primary aims
- To determine the mechanisms controlling rates of chemical transfer and improve estimates of chemical exchanges
- To evaluate the impact of these exchanges on the biogeochemistry of the surface ocean and lower atmosphere and on feedbacks between the ocean and atmosphere
- To quantify the impacts of these boundary layer processes on the global climate system
UK SOLAS started in 2003, to run for seven years. The programme was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council.
Funded projects
In total, 19 projects have been funded by UK SOLAS, over four funding rounds.
| Project Title | Short Title | Principal Investigator |
|---|---|---|
| Impact of atmospheric dust derived material and nutrient inputs on near-surface plankton microbiota in the tropical North Atlantic | Dust | Eric Achterberg |
| The role and effects of photoprotective compounds in marine plankton | - | Steve Archer |
| Field observations of sea spray, gas fluxes and whitecaps | SEASAW | Ian Brooks |
| Factors influencing the biogeochemistry of iodine in the marine environment | - | Lucy Carpenter |
| Global model of aerosol processes - effects of aerosol in the marine atmospheric boundary layer | GLOMAP | Ken Carslaw |
| Ecological controls on fluxes of dimethyl sulphide (DMS) to the atmosphere | - | David Green |
| Dust outflow and deposition to the ocean | DODO | Ellie Highwood |
| Investigation of near surface production of iodocarbons - rates and exchanges | INSPIRE | Gill Malin |
| Reactive halogens in the marine boundary layer | RHaMBLe | Gordon McFiggans |
| The role of bacterioneuston in determining trace gas exchange rates | - | Colin Murrell |
| Measuring methanol in sea water and investigating its sources and sinks in the marine environment | - | Phil Nightingale |
| The impact of coastal upwellings on air-sea exchange of climatically important gases | ICON | Carol Robinson |
| The Deep Ocean Gas Exchange Experiment | DOGEE | Rob Upstill-Goddard |
| High wind air-sea exchanges | HiWASE | Margaret Yelland |
| Aerosol characterisation and modelling in the marine environment | ACMME | James Allan |
| 3D simulation of dimethyl sulphide (DMS) in the north east Atlantic | - | Icarus Allen |
| Processes affecting the chemistry and bioavailability of dust borne iron | - | Michael Krom |
| The chemical structure of the lowermost atmosphere | - | Alastair Lewis |
| Factors influencing the oxidative chemistry of the marine boundary layer | - | Paul Monks |
UK SOLAS has also supported ten tied studentships, and two CASE studentships.
Fieldwork
UK SOLAS fieldwork has included eight dedicated research cruises in the North Atlantic Ocean. Continuous measurements were made aboard aboard the Norwegian weather ship, Polarfront, until her decommission in 2009. Time series have been established at the SOLAS Cape Verde Observatory, and at the Plymouth Marine Laboratory L4 station. Experiments have taken place at the Bergen mesocosm facility.
A series of collaborative aircraft campaigns have added complementary atmospheric data. These campaigns were funded by UK SOLAS, African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyses (AMMA-UK), Dust and Biomass Experiment (DABEX) and the Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurements (FAAM).
Weblink: http://www.nerc.ac.uk/research/programmes/solas/
Data Activity or Cruise Information
Cruise
| Cruise Name | D317 |
| Departure Date | 2007-03-21 |
| Arrival Date | 2007-04-12 |
| Principal Scientist(s) | Ian Brooks (University of Leeds School of Earth and Environment) |
| Ship | RRS Discovery |
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
The following single character qualifying flags may be associated with one or more individual parameters with a data cycle:
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
| 0 | no quality control |
| 1 | good value |
| 2 | probably good value |
| 3 | probably bad value |
| 4 | bad value |
| 5 | changed value |
| 6 | value below detection |
| 7 | value in excess |
| 8 | interpolated value |
| 9 | missing value |
| A | value phenomenon uncertain |
| B | nominal value |
| Q | value below limit of quantification |
