Metadata Report for BODC Series Reference Number 1087037

• 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

Data Quality Document

Temperature, salinity and sigma-theta:

The profiles appear reasonable for the location and time of year that the casts were made.

Data Access Policy

Open Data supplied by Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)

You must always use the following attribution statement to acknowledge the source of the information: "Contains data supplied by Natural Environment Research Council."

Narrative Documents

Instrument description

Sea-Bird SBE 19 and SBE 19plus SEACAT Profiler CTDs

The SBE 19 SEACAT Profiler is a self-contained, battery powered, pumped CTD system designed to measure conductivity, temperature, and pressure in marine or fresh water environments to depths of 10,500 meters. It was replaced by the SBE 19plus model in 2001. An updated version of this instrument is the SBE 19plus V2, which incorporates an electronics upgrade and additional features, with six differentially amplified A/D input channels, one RS-232 data input channel, and 64 MB FLASH memory.

The standard CTD unit comes with a plastic housing (rated to 600 m), although this can be replaced by titanium housing for depths up to 7000 m. It is typically used for CTD profiling although a conversion kit is available for mooring deployments. The CTD can also be attached to an SBE 36 CTD Deck Unit and Power/Data Interface Module (PDIM) for real-time operation on single-core armored cable up to 10,000 m.

Specifications

*Measurements outside this range may be at slightly reduced accuracy due to extrapolation errors.

Options and accessories

Additional sensors can be attached to the CTD, including:

• high accuracy Paroscientific Digiquartz pressure sensor (depth range 0 to 20, 60, 130, 200, 270, 680, 1400, 2000, 4200, 7000 or 10500 m; accuracy 0.02% of full scale; resolution 0.0025% of full scale)
• Dissolved Oxygen (SBE 43 DO Sensor)
• pH* (SBE 18 pH Sensor or SBE 27 pH/ORP Sensor)
• fluorescence
• radiance (PAR)
• light transmission
• optical backscatter (turbidity)

The standard SBE 5M pump may be replaced by an SBE 5P (plastic housing) or 5T (titanium housing) pump for use with dissolved oxygen and/or other pumped sensors. Further details can be found in the manufacturer's SBE 19plus V2 instrument specification or theSBE 19 andSBE 19 plus user guides.

Data Processing

Originator's Sampling Strategy

These data were collected using a CTD rig deployed from PML research vessels.

Originator's Processing

The raw CTD data were processed using the Sea-Bird software. The data were provided in tab delimited format.

BODC post-processing and screening

Reformatting

The data were converted from tab delimited format into BODC internal format using BODC transfer function 401. The tab delimited files contained a untitled column of constant data values zero. This column related to the fluorometer channel in the originator's processing protocols, however since there was no fluorometer deployed onthe rig the values are zero. These data were not transferred. During transfer the depth variable was converted to pressure using the routine 'sw_pres', a part of the Seawater toolbox, this used the method of Fofonoff and Millard Jr. (1983) using inputs of depth and latitude. The density parameter was not transferred by BODC as this is generated to a standard algorithm during BODC transfer.

The measured variables were mapped to BODC parameter codes shown in the table below:

Screening

Reformatted CTD data were transferred onto a graphics work station for visualisation using the in-house editor EDSERPLO. No data values were edited or deleted. Flagging was achieved by modification of the associated BODC quality control flag for suspect or null values.

Banking

The profiles were banked to the National Oceanographic Database (NODB) following BODC procedures.

References

Fofonoff, N.P. and Millard, R.C., 1983. Algorithms for computations of fundamental properties of seawater. UNESCO Technical Papers in Marine Science No. 44, 53pp.

Project Information

Western Channel Observatory (2002-2007)

Who funded the programme?

The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) through PML core funding.

Who was involved in the programme?

The programme was a collaboration involving scientists at Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) and the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom (MBA).

What was the programme about?

The Western Channel Observatory (WCO) is situated in the Western English Channel and comprises of long-term sustained observations at a number of stations. These stations have been the basis of a series of hydrographic surveys carried out during the 20th Century by scientists at the Marine Biological Association in Plymouth. Station L4 (50^o 15' N, 4^o 13' W) is one of these hydrographic stations and has been regularly sampled by the PML Zooplankton Group for a range of parameters from 1988 (the L4 time-series). Station E1 (50^o 02' N, 4^o 22' W) further offshore from Plymouth, has been the focus of a long time series of hydrographic and plankton observations and is where the concept of the "Russell Cycle" was developed. It had been regularly sampled until the late 1980s and in 2002 sampling recontinued for a range of parameters complementing those already being collect at the L4 station. The inclusion of the historic data sets from the E1 and L5 stations, in some cases dating back to the early 1900s, formed the basis for the Western Channel Observatory. The aim of the Western Channel Observatory (WCO) became to draw together long-term in situ measurements made at L4 and E1, ecosystem modelling studies and Earth Observation (EO), and integrate these using web-based Geographic Information System (GIS) technology. By integrating these quantitative in situ measurements, modelling studies and EO the WCO aimed to elucidate changes that are occurring in the marine component of the Earth system. The WCO is an ideal location as:

• it has a long history (>100 years) of in situ sampling at several stations;
• it represents both ocean influenced and coastal waters within 30 km of PML; and
• PML has recognised excellence in ecosystem modelling (ERSEM) and satellite remote sensing (Earth Observation - EO) science.

The observatory was further expanded between 2002 and 2007 to include measurements that had not been made before at these stations.

When was the programme active?

The observatory expanded from the L4 time-series with the resumption of sampling at E1 in 2002 in connection with MECN. In 2007 continued funding was provided for the WCO under the Oceans 2025 programme Theme 10: Integration of Sustained Observations in the Marine Environment.

Brief summary of the programme fieldwork/data

The programme continued the L4 time-series of weekly zooplankton and phytoplankton measurements at station L4 from 1988. Monthly sampling, which had stopped in the late 1980s, resumed in 2002 at station E1 for hydrography and phyoplankton data, and at stations E1 and L5 for zooplankton and fish larvae data. In addition new data sets of pigment and optics measurements at station E1 began in 2002 and the PML meterological station was set up in 2003.

Weblink: http://www.westernchannelobservatory.org.uk/

Data Activity or Cruise Information

Cruise

Complete Cruise Metadata Report is available here

Fixed Station Information

Fixed Station Information

Western Channel Observatory station E1

The Western Channel Observatory (WCO) is situated in the Western English Channel and comprises of sustained long-term observations at a number of stations.

Station E1 is located south-west of Plymouth at 50°2.00'N, 4°22.00'W.

More information can be found on the Western Channel Observatory website.

Related Fixed Station activities are detailed in Appendix 1

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:

Appendix 1: Western Channel Observatory E1

Related series for this Fixed Station are presented in the table below. Further information can be found by following the appropriate links.

If you are interested in these series, please be aware we offer a multiple file download service. Should your credentials be insufficient for automatic download, the service also offers a referral to our Enquiries Officer who may be able to negotiate access.