Metadata Report for BODC Series Reference Number 1146395
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 Identifiers |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Time Co-ordinates(UT) |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Spatial Co-ordinates | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Parameters |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
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 Dissolved Oxygen Sensor SBE 43 and SBE 43F
The SBE 43 is a dissolved oxygen sensor designed for marine applications. It incorporates a high-performance Clark polarographic membrane with a pump that continuously plumbs water through it, preventing algal growth and the development of anoxic conditions when the sensor is taking measurements.
Two configurations are available: SBE 43 produces a voltage output and can be incorporated with any Sea-Bird CTD that accepts input from a 0-5 volt auxiliary sensor, while the SBE 43F produces a frequency output and can be integrated with an SBE 52-MP (Moored Profiler CTD) or used for OEM applications. The specifications below are common to both.
Specifications
Housing | Plastic or titanium |
Membrane | 0.5 mil- fast response, typical for profile applications 1 mil- slower response, typical for moored applications |
Depth rating | 600 m (plastic) or 7000 m (titanium) 10500 m titanium housing available on request |
Measurement range | 120% of surface saturation |
Initial accuracy | 2% of saturation |
Typical stability | 0.5% per 1000 h |
Further details can be found in the manufacturer's specification sheet.
Instrument Description
CTD Unit and Auxillary Sensors
A Sea-Bird 11plus Stainless Steel CTD system was used on cruise D369 for the following casts: 001-003, 005-042, 044-085, 087-093. This was mounted on a stainless steel rosette frame, equipped with 24 20-litre Niskin bottles. The CTD was fitted with the following scientific sensors:
Sensor | Serial Number | Last calibration date | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Sea-Bird 11+ CTD | 11P-34173-0676 | - | - |
Sea-Bird 9plus underwater unit | 09P-46253-0869 | - | - |
Digiquartz Pressure | 100898 | 31st July 2009 | - |
Primary Temperature SBE-3P | 03P-4116 | 17th December 2010 | frame mounted |
Secondary Temperature SBE-3P | 03P-4782 | 17th December 2010 | fin mounted |
Primary Conductivity SBE-4C | 04C-2580 | 17th December 2010 | frame mounted |
Secondary Conductivity SBE-4C | 04C-2841 | 17th December 2010 | fin mounted |
Sea-Bird SBE 43 dissolved oxygen sensor | 43-1624 | 26th August 2010 | - |
CTG MkIII Aquatracka fluorometer | 88-2050-095 | 21st April 2011 | - |
CTG MkII Alphatracka Transmissometer | 07-6075-001 | 22nd June 2011 | - |
Tritech PA200 Altimeter | 6196.118171 | 14th November 2006 | - |
CTG 2pi-PAR light | PAR06 | 1st October 2010 | DWIRR |
CTG 2pi-PAR light | PAR07 | 1st October 2010 | UWIRR |
Wetlabs BBRTD backscatter sensor | BBRTD-169 | 29th June 2011 | - |
Sea-Bird Electronics SBE 911 and SBE 917 series CTD profilers
The SBE 911 and SBE 917 series of conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) units are used to collect hydrographic profiles, including temperature, conductivity and pressure as standard. Each profiler consists of an underwater unit and deck unit or SEARAM. Auxiliary sensors, such as fluorometers, dissolved oxygen sensors and transmissometers, and carousel water samplers are commonly added to the underwater unit.
Underwater unit
The CTD underwater unit (SBE 9 or SBE 9 plus) comprises a protective cage (usually with a carousel water sampler), including a main pressure housing containing power supplies, acquisition electronics, telemetry circuitry, and a suite of modular sensors. The original SBE 9 incorporated Sea-Bird's standard modular SBE 3 temperature sensor and SBE 4 conductivity sensor, and a Paroscientific Digiquartz pressure sensor. The conductivity cell was connected to a pump-fed plastic tubing circuit that could include auxiliary sensors. Each SBE 9 unit was custom built to individual specification. The SBE 9 was replaced in 1997 by an off-the-shelf version, termed the SBE 9 plus, that incorporated the SBE 3 plus (or SBE 3P) temperature sensor, SBE 4C conductivity sensor and a Paroscientific Digiquartz pressure sensor. Sensors could be connected to a pump-fed plastic tubing circuit or stand-alone.
Temperature, conductivity and pressure sensors
The conductivity, temperature, and pressure sensors supplied with Sea-Bird CTD systems have outputs in the form of variable frequencies, which are measured using high-speed parallel counters. The resulting count totals are converted to numeric representations of the original frequencies, which bear a direct relationship to temperature, conductivity or pressure. Sampling frequencies for these sensors are typically set at 24 Hz.
The temperature sensing element is a glass-coated thermistor bead, pressure-protected inside a stainless steel tube, while the conductivity sensing element is a cylindrical, flow-through, borosilicate glass cell with three internal platinum electrodes. Thermistor resistance or conductivity cell resistance, respectively, is the controlling element in an optimized Wien Bridge oscillator circuit, which produces a frequency output that can be converted to a temperature or conductivity reading. These sensors are available with depth ratings of 6800 m (aluminium housing) or 10500 m (titanium housing). The Paroscientific Digiquartz pressure sensor comprises a quartz crystal resonator that responds to pressure-induced stress, and temperature is measured for thermal compensation of the calculated pressure.
Additional sensors
Optional sensors for dissolved oxygen, pH, light transmission, fluorescence and others do not require the very high levels of resolution needed in the primary CTD channels, nor do these sensors generally offer variable frequency outputs. Accordingly, signals from the auxiliary sensors are acquired using a conventional voltage-input multiplexed A/D converter (optional). Some Sea-Bird CTDs use a strain gauge pressure sensor (Senso-Metrics) in which case their pressure output data is in the same form as that from the auxiliary sensors as described above.
Deck unit or SEARAM
Each underwater unit is connected to a power supply and data logging system: the SBE 11 (or SBE 11 plus) deck unit allows real-time interfacing between the deck and the underwater unit via a conductive wire, while the submersible SBE 17 (or SBE 17 plus) SEARAM plugs directly into the underwater unit and data are downloaded on recovery of the CTD. The combination of SBE 9 and SBE 17 or SBE 11 are termed SBE 917 or SBE 911, respectively, while the combinations of SBE 9 plus and SBE 17 plus or SBE 11 plus are termed SBE 917 plus or SBE 911 plus.
Specifications
Specifications for the SBE 9 plus underwater unit are listed below:
Parameter | Range | Initial accuracy | Resolution at 24 Hz | Response time |
---|---|---|---|---|
Temperature | -5 to 35°C | 0.001°C | 0.0002°C | 0.065 sec |
Conductivity | 0 to 7 S m-1 | 0.0003 S m-1 | 0.00004 S m-1 | 0.065 sec (pumped) |
Pressure | 0 to full scale (1400, 2000, 4200, 6800 or 10500 m) | 0.015% of full scale | 0.001% of full scale | 0.015 sec |
Further details can be found in the manufacturer's specification sheet.
Chelsea Technologies Group Aquatracka MKIII fluorometer
The Chelsea Technologies Group Aquatracka MKIII is a logarithmic response fluorometer. Filters are available to enable the instrument to measure chlorophyll, rhodamine, fluorescein and turbidity.
It uses a pulsed (5.5 Hz) xenon light source discharging along two signal paths to eliminate variations in the flashlamp intensity. The reference path measures the intensity of the light source whilst the signal path measures the intensity of the light emitted from the specimen under test. The reference signal and the emitted light signals are then applied to a ratiometric circuit. In this circuit, the ratio of returned signal to reference signal is computed and scaled logarithmically to achieve a wide dynamic range. The logarithmic conversion accuracy is maintained at better than one percent of the reading over the full output range of the instrument.
Two variants of the instrument are available, both manufactured in titanium, capable of operating in depths from shallow water down to 2000 m and 6000 m respectively. The optical characteristics of the instrument in its different detection modes are visible below:
Excitation | Chlorophyll a | Rhodamine | Fluorescein | Turbidity |
---|---|---|---|---|
Wavelength (nm) | 430 | 500 | 485 | 440* |
Bandwidth (nm) | 105 | 70 | 22 | 80* |
Emission | Chlorophyll a | Rhodamine | Fluorescein | Turbidity |
Wavelength (nm) | 685 | 590 | 530 | 440* |
Bandwidth (nm) | 30 | 45 | 30 | 80* |
* The wavelengths for the turbidity filters are customer selectable but must be in the range 400 to 700 nm. The same wavelength is used in the excitation path and the emission path.
The instrument measures chlorophyll a, rhodamine and fluorescein with a concentration range of 0.01 µg l-1 to 100 µg l-1. The concentration range for turbidity is 0.01 to 100 FTU (other wavelengths are available on request).
The instrument accuracy is ± 0.02 µg l-1 (or ± 3% of the reading, whichever is greater) for chlorophyll a, rhodamine and fluorescein. The accuracy for turbidity, over a 0 - 10 FTU range, is ± 0.02 FTU (or ± 3% of the reading, whichever is greater).
Further details are available from the Aquatracka MKIII specification sheet.
Chelsea Technologies Group ALPHAtracka and ALPHAtracka II transmissometers
The Chelsea Technologies Group ALPHAtracka (the Mark I) and its successor, the ALPHAtracka II (the Mark II), are both accurate (< 0.3 % fullscale) transmissometers that measure the beam attenuation coefficient at 660 nm. Green (565 nm), yellow (590 nm) and blue (470 nm) wavelength variants are available on special order.
The instrument consists of a Transmitter/Reference Assembly and a Detector Assembly aligned and spaced apart by an open support frame. The housing and frame are both manufactured in titanium and are pressure rated to 6000 m depth.
The Transmitter/Reference housing is sealed by an end cap. Inside the housing an LED light source emits a collimated beam through a sealed window. The Detector housing is also sealed by an end cap. A signal photodiode is placed behind a sealed window to receive the collimated beam from the Transmitter.
The primary difference between the ALPHAtracka and ALPHAtracka II is that the Alphatracka II is implemented with surface-mount technology; this has enabled a much smaller diameter pressure housing to be used while retaining exactly the same optical train as in the Mark I. Data from the Mark II version are thus fully compatible with that already obtained with the Mark I. The performance of the Mark II is further enhanced by two electronic developments from Chelsea Technologies Group - firstly, all items are locked in a signal nulling loop of near infinite gain and, secondly, the signal output linearity is inherently defined by digital circuitry only.
Among other advantages noted above, these features ensure that the optical intensity of the Mark II, indicated by the output voltage, is accurately represented by a straight line interpolation between a reading near full-scale under known conditions and a zero reading when blanked off.
For optimum measurements in a wide range of environmental conditions, the Mark I and Mark II are available in 5 cm, 10 cm and 25 cm path length versions. Output is default factory set to 2.5 volts but can be adjusted to 5 volts on request.
Further details about the Mark II instrument are available from the Chelsea Technologies Group ALPHAtrackaII specification sheet.
Chelsea Technologies Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) Irradiance Sensor
This sensor was originally designed to assist the study of marine photosynthesis. With the use of logarithmic amplication, the sensor covers a range of 6 orders of magnitude, which avoids setting up the sensor range for the expected signal level for different ambient conditions.
The sensor consists of a hollow PTFE 2-pi collector supported by a clear acetal dome diverting light to a filter and photodiode from which a cosine response is obtained. The sensor can be used in moorings, profiling or deployed in towed vehicles and can measure both upwelling and downwelling light.
Specifications
Operation depth | 1000 m |
Range | 2000 to 0.002 µE m-2 s-1 |
Angular Detection Range | ± 130° from normal incidence |
Relative Spectral Sensitivity | flat to ± 3% from 450 to 700 nm down 8% of 400 nm and 36% at 350 nm |
Further details can be found in the manufacturer's specification sheet.
WETLabs Single-angle Backscattering Meter ECO BB
An optical scattering sensor that measures scattering at 117°. This angle was determined as a minimum convergence point for variations in the volume scattering function induced by suspended materials and water. The measured signal is less determined by the type and size of the materials in the water and is more directly correlated to their concentration.
Several versions are available, with minor differences in their specifications:
- ECO BB(RT)provides analog or RS-232 serial output with 4000 count range
- ECO BB(RT)D adds the possibility of being deployed in depths up to 6000 m while keeping the capabilities of ECO BB(RT)
- ECO BB provides the capabilities of ECO BB(RT) with periodic sampling
- ECO BBB is similar to ECO BB but with internal batteries for autonomous operation
- ECO BBS is similar to ECO BB but with an integrated anti-fouling bio-wiper
- ECO BBSB has the capabilities of ECO BBS but with internal batteries for autonomous operation
Specifications
Wavelength | 471, 532, 660 nm |
Sensitivity (m-1 sr-1) | 1.2 x 10-5 at 470 nm 7.7 x 10-6 at 532 nm 3.8 x 10-6 at 660 nm |
Typical range | ~0.0024 to 5 m-1 |
Linearity | 99% R2 |
Sample rate | up to 8Hz |
Temperature range | 0 to 30°C |
Depth rating | 600 m (standard) 6000 m (deep) |
Further details can be found in the manufacturer's specification sheet.
Tritech Digital Precision Altimeter PA200
This altimeter is a sonar ranging device that gives the height above the sea bed when mounted vertically. When mounted in any other attitude the sensor provides a subsea distance. It can be configured to operate on its own or under control from an external unit and can be supplied with simultaneous analogue and digital outputs, allowing them to interface to PC devices, data loggers, telemetry systems and multiplexers.
These instruments can be supplied with different housings, stainless steel, plastic and aluminum, which will limit the depth rating. There are three models available: the PA200-20S, PA200-10L and the PA500-6S, whose transducer options differ slightly.
Specifications
Transducer options | PA200-20S | P200-10L | PA500-6S |
Frequency (kHz) | 200 | 200 | 500 |
Beamwidth (°) | 20 Conical | 10 included conical beam | 6 Conical |
Operating range | 1 to 100 m 0.7 to 50 m | - | 0.3 to 50 m 0.1 to 10 m |
Common specifications are presented below
Digital resolution | 1 mm |
Analogue resolution | 0.25% of range |
Depth rating | 700 , 2000, 4000 and 6800 m |
Operating temperature | -10 to 40°C |
Further details can be found in the manufacturer's specification sheet.
BODC Processing
The CTD data from the Stainless Steel Frame were supplied to BODC in 90 PStar files and converted to the BODC internal format (QXF).
During transfer the originator's variables were mapped to unique BODC parameter codes. The following table shows the parameter mapping.
Originator's variable | Units | Description | BODC Code | Units | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
time | - | Time | - | - | Not transferred - will be superseded in BODC processing |
press | dbar | Pressure (spatial co-ordinate) exerted by the water body by profiling pressure sensor and corrected to read zero at sea level. | PRESPR01 | dbar | - |
temp | °C | Temperature of the water body by CTD and NO verification against independent measurements | TEMPCU01 | °C | - |
temp2 | °C | Temperature of the water body by CTD and NO verification against independent measurements | - | - | Secondary channel - not retained by BODC |
cond | mS/cm | Electrical conductivity of the water body by CTD | CNDCST01 | S/m | conversion /10 |
cond2 | mS/cm | Electrical conductivity of the water body by CTD | - | - | Secondary channel - not retained by BODC |
fluor | ug/l | Concentration of chlorophyll-a {chl-a} per unit volume of the water body [particulate phase] by in-situ chlorophyll fluorometer and manufacturer's calibration applied | CPHLPM01 | mg/m3 | ug/l=mg/m3 |
oxyV | volts | Raw output from the oxygen sensor | - | - | Raw output, not transferred - superseded by processed oxygen |
oxygen | ml/l | Concentration of oxygen {O2} per unit volume of the water body [dissolved phase] by Sea-Bird SBE 43 sensor and no calibration against sample data | DOXYSU01 | µmol/l | ml/l * 44.66 = µmol/l |
oxysat | % | - | - | - | Not transferred - superceded in BODC processing |
sigoxy | kg/l | Oxygen density value | - | - | Not transferred - used to calculate oxygen_x |
oxygen_c | µmol/kg | Oxygen density value | - | - | Not transferred - used to calculate oxygen_x |
oxygen_x | µmol/l | Concentration of oxygen {O2} per unit volume of the water body [dissolved phase] by Sea-Bird SBE 43 sensor and calibration against sample data | DOXYSC01 | µmol/l | - |
- | - | Saturation of oxygen {O2} in the water body | OXYSSC01 | % | Calculated by the BODC transfer |
trans | % | Transmittance (red light wavelength) per 25cm of the water body by 25cm path length red light transmissometer | POPTDR01 | % | - |
atten | /m | Attenuance (red light wavelength) per unit length of the water body by 25cm path length red light transmissometer | ATTNDR01 | /m | - |
BBRTD | per metre per nanometre per steradian | Attenuance due to backscatter (660 nm wavelength at 117 degree incidence) by the water body [particulate phase] by in-situ optical backscatter measurement | BB117R01 | per metre per nanometre per steradian | - |
altim | m | Height above bed in the water body | AHSFZZ01 | m | - |
DPAR | w/m2 | Upwelling 2-pi scalar irradiance as energy (PAR wavelengths) in the water body by 2-pi scalar radiometer | UWIRPP01 | w/m2 | - |
UPAR | w/m2 | Downwelling 2-pi scalar irradiance as energy (PAR wavelengths) in the water body by 2-pi scalar radiometer | DWIRPP01 | w/m2 | - |
scan | - | Scan number | - | - | Not transferred - will be superseded in BODC processing |
flag | - | Flag number | - | - | Not transferred - only contains zeros |
salin | pss-78 | Practical salinity of the water body by CTD and computation using UNESCO 1983 algorithm and calibration against independent measurements | PSALCC01 | pss-78 | - |
salin2 | pss-78 | Practical salinity of the water body by CTD and computation using UNESCO 1983 algorithm and calibration against independent measurements | - | - | Secondary channel - not retained by BODC |
potemp | °C | Potential Temperature | - | - | Not transferred - can be calculated from pressure, salinity and temperature |
potemp2 | °C | Potential Temperature | - | - | Not transferred - can be calculated from pressure, salinity and temperature |
- | - | Potential temperature of the water body by computation using UNESCO 1983 algorithm | POTMCV01 | °C | Calculated from pressure, salinity and temperature by the BODC transfer |
sigma0 | kg/m3 | Sigma-theta of the water body | - | - | Not transferred - recalculated by the BODC transfer |
sigma2 | kg/m3 | Sigma-theta of the water body | - | - | Not transferred - recalculated by the BODC transfer |
- | - | Sigma-theta of the water body by CTD and computation from salinity and potential temperature using UNESCO algorithm | SIGTPR01 | kg/m3 | Calculated by the BODC transfer |
Following transfer, the data were screened using BODC in-house visualisation software. Suspect data values were assigned the appropriate BODC data quality flag. Missing data values were changed to the missing data value and assigned a BODC data quality flag.
Originator's Data Processing
Sampling strategy
Three 4-day CTD surveys were conducted during the D369 cruise, each after a SeaSoar survey. In total 93 CTDs were deployed; 90 were carried out using the stainless steel cast, generally to 500 m, and 3 using the titanium cast (ctd369004, ctd269043, ctd369086), two of which were for deeper deployments.
Data Acquisition and Initial Processing
The raw data files were then processed using SeaBird's own CTD data processing software, SBE.DataProcessing-Win32: v.7.20g, by the NMFSS technicians. SeaBird CTD processing routines were used following the new BODC required standard as follows.
The data were processed using PEXEC routines. Further details on the processing can be found in the cruise report.
The processed data, together with the raw Sea-Bird, configuration and bottle files, were supplied to BODC for banking.
Project Information
Oceans 2025 - The NERC Marine Centres' Strategic Research Programme 2007-2012
Who funds the programme?
The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) funds the Oceans 2025 programme, which was originally planned in the context of NERC's 2002-2007 strategy and later realigned to NERC's subsequent strategy (Next Generation Science for Planet Earth; NERC 2007).
Who is involved in the programme?
The Oceans 2025 programme was designed by and is to be implemented through seven leading UK marine centres. The marine centres work together in coordination and are also supported by cooperation and input from government bodies, universities and other partners. The seven marine centres are:
- National Oceanography Centre, Southampton (NOCS)
- Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML)
- Marine Biological Association (MBA)
- Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Marine Science (SAHFOS)
- Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory (POL)
- Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS)
- Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU)
Oceans2025 provides funding to three national marine facilities, which provide services to the wider UK marine community, in addition to the Oceans 2025 community. These facilities are:
- British Oceanographic Data Centre (BODC), hosted at POL
- Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level (PSMSL), hosted at POL
- Culture Collection of Algae and Protozoa (CCAP), hosted at SAMS
The NERC-run Strategic Ocean Funding Initiative (SOFI) provides additional support to the programme by funding additional research projects and studentships that closely complement the Oceans 2025 programme, primarily through universities.
What is the programme about?
Oceans 2025 sets out to address some key challenges that face the UK as a result of a changing marine environment. The research funded through the programme sets out to increase understanding of the size, nature and impacts of these changes, with the aim to:
- improve knowledge of how the seas behave, not just now but in the future;
- help assess what that might mean for the Earth system and for society;
- assist in developing sustainable solutions for the management of marine resources for future generations;
- enhance the research capabilities and facilities available for UK marine science.
In order to address these aims there are nine science themes supported by the Oceans 2025 programme:
- Climate, circulation and sea level (Theme 1)
- Marine biogeochemical cycles (Theme 2)
- Shelf and coastal processes (Theme 3)
- Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (Theme 4)
- Continental margins and deep ocean (Theme 5)
- Sustainable marine resources (Theme 6)
- Technology development (Theme 8)
- Next generation ocean prediction (Theme 9)
- Integration of sustained observations in the marine environment (Theme 10)
In the original programme proposal there was a theme on health and human impacts (Theme 7). The elements of this Theme have subsequently been included in Themes 3 and 9.
When is the programme active?
The programme started in April 2007 with funding for 5 years.
Brief summary of the programme fieldwork/data
Programme fieldwork and data collection are to be achieved through:
- physical, biological and chemical parameters sampling throughout the North and South Atlantic during collaborative research cruises aboard NERC's research vessels RRS Discovery, RRS James Cook and RRS James Clark Ross;
- the Continuous Plankton Recorder being deployed by SAHFOS in the North Atlantic and North Pacific on 'ships of opportunity';
- physical parameters measured and relayed in near real-time by fixed moorings and ARGO floats;
- coastal and shelf sea observatory data (Liverpool Bay Coastal Observatory (LBCO) and Western Channel Observatory (WCO)) using the RV Prince Madog and RV Quest.
The data is to be fed into models for validation and future projections. Greater detail can be found in the Theme documents.
Oceans 2025 Theme 2: Marine Biogeochemical Cycles
Marine biogeochemical cycles are the key processes that control the cycling of climate-active gases within the surface ocean; the main transport mechanisms governing the supply of nutrients from deeper waters across the pycnocline; and the flux of material to deep water via the biological carbon pump. The broad aim of this Theme is to improve knowledge of major biogeochemical processes in the surface layer of the Atlantic Ocean and UK shelf seas in order to develop accurate models of these systems. This strategic research will result in predictions of how the ocean will respond to, and either ameliorate or worsen, climate change and ocean acidification.
Theme 2 comprises three Research Units and ten Work Packages. Theme 2 addresses the following pivotal biogeochemical pathways and processes:
- The oceans and shelf seas as a source and sink of climate-active gases
- The importance of the carbon and nitrogen cycles in the regulation of microbial communities and hence export and biogenic gas cycling
- The biological pump and export of carbon into the ocean's interior
- Processes that introduce nutrients into the euphotic zone
- The direct impact of a high CO2 world (acidification) on mixed-layer biogeochemical cycles and feedbacks to the atmosphere via sea/air gas fluxes and the biological pump
- The indirect impact of a high CO2 world (increased stratification and storminess) on the supply of nutrients to the surface layer of the ocean and hence on the biological carbon pump and air-sea gas fluxes
- Cellular processes that mediate calcification in coccolithophores and how these are impacted by environmental change with a focus on elevated CO2 and ocean acidification
- Inter- and intra-specific genetic diversity and inter-specific physiological plasticity in coccolithophores and the consequences of rapid environmental change
The official Oceans 2025 documentation for this Theme can be found using the following link: Oceans 2025 Theme 2
Data Activity or Cruise Information
Cruise
Cruise Name | D369 |
Departure Date | 2011-08-09 |
Arrival Date | 2011-09-15 |
Principal Scientist(s) | Mikhail V Zubkov (National Oceanography Centre, Southampton) |
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 |