Metadata Report for BODC Series Reference Number 1134892

• 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 Access Policy

Open 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.

If the Information Provider does not provide a specific attribution statement, or if you are using Information from several Information Providers and multiple attributions are not practical in your product or application, you may consider using the following:

"Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v1.0."

Narrative Documents

Sea-Bird SBE 37-SM MicroCAT

The SBE 37-SM MicroCAT is a high accuracy conductivity and temperature recorder (pressure optional). Designed for moorings and other long-duration, fixed-site deployments, MicroCATs have non-corroding titanium housings rated for operation to 7000 metres or pressure sensor full scale-range. Communication with the MicroCAT is over an internal, 3-wire, RS-232C link. The MicroCAT's aged and pressure-protected thermistor has a long history of exceptional accuracy and stability (typical drift is less than 0.002° per year). Electrical isolation of the conductivity electronics eliminates any possibility of ground-loop noise.

Specifications

Further information can be found via the following link: SBE 37-SM MicroCAT Datasheet

RAPIDMOC/MOCHA Calibration Coefficients

Processing log

Average conductivity applied? y
Average temperature applied? y
Average pressure applied? y
Pressure drift removal? n
Conductivity pressure correction redone? n
Skipped conductivity intervals: [0]
Skipped temperature intervals : [0]
Skipped pressure intervals : [0]
Number of additional C points skipped interactively: [0]
Number of additional C points skipped automatically: [5]

RAPIDMOC/MOCHA Sea-Bird MicroCAT data processing document

This document outlines the procedures undertaken to process and quality assure the MicroCAT data collected under the RAPIDMOC and MOCHA projects.

Originator's processing

The raw data are downloaded from the instrument and converted to ASCII format. All processing is performed in Matlab.

Calculating calibration coefficients

Prior to deployment and on recovery, a CTD dip is performed with the MicroCATs strapped onto the CTD frame. This allows calibration of the MicroCAT data by comparing the MicroCAT data with the CTD data. As the MicroCATs adjustment is much slower than the CTD, data are only compared during bottle stops and after the sensors have adjusted. Bottle stops on these calibration dips last no less than 5 minutes.

Any discrepancy between the MicroCAT clock and the CTD clock is calculated and corrected if necessary.

An average offset (MicroCAT - CTD) is calculated for temperature, conductivity and pressure during the stable period of each bottle stop and interpolated onto the instrument deployment depths. For temperature and conductivity, an average of the offsets derived during the bottle stops is calculated for a specified pressure range where the data are stable (deep water). For pressure, the average offset interpolated to the deployment depth is used. If the calibration dip is shallower than the deployment depth, the offset is extrapolated to the deployment depth.

All the offsets are visually checked and adjusted if necessary.

Applying calibrations

The data are calibrated using the pre and post deployment calibration coefficients. The calibration can be applied as either

• A linear trend between the pre and post deployment coefficients
• A constant offset using the pre deployment coefficient
• A constant offset using the post deployment coefficient
• A constant offset using an average of the pre and post deployment coefficients
• A general linear trend using either the pre or post deployment coefficient

If required, a conductivity pressure correction can be applied. This is used if the pressure channel shows spurious data in a particular time interval. A drift in the pressure data can also be removed.

To aid the quality of the calibration, data from CTD casts performed near mooring locations on previous cruises are used as a reference and are visually compared with the MicroCAT data.

Quality control

All variables in specified time intervals can be set to dummy values if the data are suspect and it is also possible to apply an offset to a subsection of a particular channel, if required. Interactive despiking can be carried out on the temperature and conductivity data, if present, by selecting data based on a T-S plot. Automatic despiking can also be performed using the option to exclude data outside the 6σ area.

The last stage of the processing is to grid the data onto a pressure field and visually check against historical data. This enables the calibrations to be checked and adjusted if necessary. On occasion, comparison of the time series with historical data and series from nearby instruments highlights the need for removal of a drift from one or more data channels. This is accomplished by removing a linear trend from the appropriate channel(s) and may affect the entire series or a subsection thereof. If a trend has been removed it will be noted in the 'RAPIDMOC Calibration Coefficients' section of the documentation.

BODC processing

Data are received after quality checks have been made and calibrations have been applied. The data files are submitted in ASCII format as one file per instrument.

Once the submitted data files are safely archived, the data undergo reformatting and banking procedures:

• The data files are transferred into a common format, a NetCDF subset.

• Standard parameter codes are assigned that accurately describe the data (see Parameter mapping section below).

• Unit conversions are applied, if necessary, so that units are standardised (see Parameter mapping section below).

• Salinity is derived using UNESCO 1983 polynomial.

• The data are screened visually and any spikes or instrument malfunctions can be clearly labelled with quality control flags.

• Comprehensive documentation is prepared describing the collection, processing and quality of each data series.

• Detailed metadata and documents are loaded to the database and linked to each series so that the information is readily available to future users.

Parameter mapping

The following describes the parameters contained in the originator's files and their mapping to BODC parameter codes:

Parameter derivation

The following describes the parameters derived by BODC and their mapping to BODC parameter codes:

Project Information

Meridional Overturning Circulation and Heatflux Array (MOCHA) Project

Introduction

Users of these data are referred to the Meridional Overturning Circulation and Heatflux Array (MOCHA) Project Website for more information. The following text has been taken from the website.

Scientific Rationale

To set in place a system for continuous observation of the meridional heat transport in the subtropical Atlantic, with which to document its variability and its relationship to oberved climate fluctuations, and to assess climate model predictions

Overview

MOCHA is a collaborative project, partnered with the UK RAPID Program, to measure the heat and freshwater transports of the North Atlantic Ocean. These transports are called the Thermohaline or Overturning Circulation. Simply put, warm waters move poleward at the surface of the ocean, where they cool and sink, to return equatorward in the deep ocean.

Data Activity or Cruise Information

Data Activity

RAPID Moored Instrument Rig WB3#6

This rig was deployed as part of the Western Boundary (WB) array of the MOCHA/RAPIDMOC project.

The rig was anchored by railway wheels and kept erect by groups of small floats distributed along the mooring.

Instruments deployed on the rig

*Instrument SonTek Argonaut MD #D305 suffered a beam failure around 22:00 July 22nd 2012. Consequently, no current data are available after this date. The pressure sensor on this instrument also failed, hence no good pressure data.

Related Data Activity activities are detailed in Appendix 1

Cruise

Complete Cruise Metadata Report is available here

Fixed Station Information

Fixed Station Information

RAPIDMOC/MOCHA Western Boundary (WB) Array

The Western Boundary Array defines a box in which moorings were deployed at the western side of the North Atlantic as part of the RAPIDMOC project and the collaborative project Meridional Overturning Circulation and Heatflux Array (MOCHA). The box region has latitudinal limits of 26° N to 27.5° N and longitudinal limits of 69.5° W to 77.5° W. Moorings have occupied this region since 2004 and are typically deployed for 6 to 18 months.

Moored data summary

Cruise data summary

During the cruises to service the moored array, a variety of data types are collected. The table below is a summary of these data. The number of CTD profiles performed on these cruises within the box region defined above is also included. Trans-Atlantic hydrographic CTD sections have also been performed since 2004 and are included in the table.

Data type ID and description

Related Fixed Station activities are detailed in Appendix 2

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: WB3#6

Related series for this Data Activity 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.

Appendix 2: Western Boundary Array

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.