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Metadata Report for BODC Series Reference Number 1661207


Metadata Summary

Data Description

Data Category Water sample data
Instrument Type
NameCategories
Niskin bottle  discrete water samplers
Instrument Mounting lowered unmanned submersible
Originating Country Denmark
Originator Dr Andy Visser
Originating Organization Danish Institute for Fisheries Research (now Technical University of Denmark, National Institute of Aquatic Resources)
Processing Status banked
Online delivery of data Download available - Ocean Data View (ODV) format
Project(s) Provess
 

Data Identifiers

Originator's Identifier D1198_CTD_PIGX_159:CTD25
BODC Series Reference 1661207
 

Time Co-ordinates(UT)

Start Time (yyyy-mm-dd hh:mm) 1998-10-20 13:41
End Time (yyyy-mm-dd hh:mm) -
Nominal Cycle Interval -
 

Spatial Co-ordinates

Latitude 59.35151 N ( 59° 21.1' N )
Longitude 1.08038 E ( 1° 4.8' E )
Positional Uncertainty Unspecified
Minimum Sensor or Sampling Depth 2.8 m
Maximum Sensor or Sampling Depth 83.6 m
Minimum Sensor or Sampling Height 25.4 m
Maximum Sensor or Sampling Height 106.2 m
Sea Floor Depth 109.0 m
Sea Floor Depth Source -
Sensor or Sampling Distribution Unspecified -
Sensor or Sampling Depth Datum Unspecified -
Sea Floor Depth Datum Instantaneous - Depth measured below water line or instantaneous water body surface
 

Parameters

BODC CODERankUnitsTitle
ADEPZZ011MetresDepth (spatial coordinate) relative to water surface in the water body
BOTTFLAG1Not applicableSampling process quality flag (BODC C22)
CPHLSPP31Milligrams per cubic metreConcentration of chlorophyll-a {chl-a CAS 479-61-8} per unit volume of the water body [particulate >GF/C phase] by filtration, acetone extraction and spectrophotometry and processing following the Lorenzen protocol
PHAESPP31Milligrams per cubic metreConcentration of phaeopigments {pheopigments} per unit volume of the water body [particulate >GF/C phase] by filtration, acetone extraction and spectrophotometry and processing following the Lorenzen protocol
SAMPRFNM1DimensionlessSample reference number

Definition of BOTTFLAG

BOTTFLAGDefinition
0The sampling event occurred without any incident being reported to BODC.
1The filter in an in-situ sampling pump physically ruptured during sample resulting in an unquantifiable loss of sampled material.
2Analytical evidence (e.g. surface water salinity measured on a sample collected at depth) indicates that the water sample has been contaminated by water from depths other than the depths of sampling.
3The feedback indicator on the deck unit reported that the bottle closure command had failed. General Oceanics deck units used on NERC vessels in the 80s and 90s were renowned for reporting misfires when the bottle had been closed. This flag is also suitable for when a trigger command is mistakenly sent to a bottle that has previously been fired.
4During the sampling deployment the bottle was fired in an order other than incrementing rosette position. Indicative of the potential for errors in the assignment of bottle firing depth, especially with General Oceanics rosettes.
5Water was reported to be escaping from the bottle as the rosette was being recovered.
6The bottle seals were observed to be incorrectly seated and the bottle was only part full of water on recovery.
7Either the bottle was found to contain no sample on recovery or there was no bottle fitted to the rosette position fired (but SBE35 record may exist).
8There is reason to doubt the accuracy of the sampling depth associated with the sample.
9The bottle air vent had not been closed prior to deployment giving rise to a risk of sample contamination through leakage.

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

Niskin Bottle

The Niskin bottle is a device used by oceanographers to collect subsurface seawater samples. It is a plastic bottle with caps and rubber seals at each end and is deployed with the caps held open, allowing free-flushing of the bottle as it moves through the water column.

Standard Niskin

The standard version of the bottle includes a plastic-coated metal spring or elastic cord running through the interior of the bottle that joins the two caps, and the caps are held open against the spring by plastic lanyards. When the bottle reaches the desired depth the lanyards are released by a pressure-actuated switch, command signal or messenger weight and the caps are forced shut and sealed, trapping the seawater sample.

Lever Action Niskin

The Lever Action Niskin Bottle differs from the standard version, in that the caps are held open during deployment by externally mounted stainless steel springs rather than an internal spring or cord. Lever Action Niskins are recommended for applications where a completely clear sample chamber is critical or for use in deep cold water.

Clean Sampling

A modified version of the standard Niskin bottle has been developed for clean sampling. This is teflon-coated and uses a latex cord to close the caps rather than a metal spring. The clean version of the Levered Action Niskin bottle is also teflon-coated and uses epoxy covered springs in place of the stainless steel springs. These bottles are specifically designed to minimise metal contamination when sampling trace metals.

Deployment

Bottles may be deployed singly clamped to a wire or in groups of up to 48 on a rosette. Standard bottles and Lever Action bottles have a capacity between 1.7 and 30 L. Reversing thermometers may be attached to a spring-loaded disk that rotates through 180° on bottle closure.

Phytoplankton pigment concentration data series for cruise Dana D1198

Document History

Converted from CDROM documentation.

Data Originator

Andy Visser, Danish Institute for Fisheries Research (DIFRES), Charlottenlund, Denmark.

Content of data series

Parameter Unit Parameter code Number of samples Number of stations Comments
Chlorophyll a µg l-1 CPHLSPP3 66 17 CTD none
Phaeopigment a µg l-1 PHAESPP3 55 17 CTD none

CTD= CTD-Rosette water column sampling station.

Sampling strategy and methodology

Water samples for the determination of phytoplankton pigment concentrations were collected at selected depths (usually 3-4) during the upcast of the CTD cast. About 4 litres of seawater were filtered onto GF/C filters under 0.2 bar vacuum. The filters were then extracted in the dark in 5 ml, 90% acetone. Determination of pigment concentration was made following the Lorenzen method (Strickland, Parsons 1972). The spectral properties of the samples were measured against 90% acetone blank using a Perkin-Elmer 554 UV-VIS spectrophotometer at wavelengths of 750, 665, 664, 647, 630, 510 and 480 nm before and after addition of hydrochloric acid.

BODC processing

The data were loaded into a database under the ORACLE Relational Database Management System without modification.

Comments on data quality

A number of analysed samples (n=13) exhibited suspiciously low/high value relative to that expected from their associated fluorescence profile and from the vertical distribution of chlorophyll concentration observed at most stations during this cruise as well as during concomitant PROVESS cruises (CH140 and PE125). These data (chlorophyll and phaeopigment concentrations) were flagged as suspect in the database (symbolised by an 'M' flag).

Reference

Strickland JDH, Parsons TR (1972) A practical handbook of seawater analysis. Bull. Fish. Res. Bd. Can., vol. 167, pp. 1-310.


Project Information

PROcesses of Vertical Exchange in Shelf Seas (PROVESS)

Introduction

PROVESS was an interdisciplinary study of the vertical fluxes of properties through the water column and the surface and bottom boundary layers. The project was funded by the European Community MAST-III programme (MAS3-CT97- 0159) and ran from March 1998 to May 2001.

Scientific Rationale

PROVESS was based on the integration of experimental, theoretical and modelling studies with the aim of improving understanding and quantification of vertical exchange processes in the water column, in particular in the surface and benthic boundary layers and across the> pycnocline. PROVESS also explored mechanisms of physical-biological coupling in which vertical exchanges and turbulence significantly affect the environmental conditions experienced by the biota with particular reference to aggregation, flocculation, sedimentation and trophic interactions.

Fieldwork

The experimental phase of the project was carried out at two contrasting sites in the North Sea: the northern North Sea site (NNS) and the southern North Sea site (SNS).

The two sites had the following characteristics:

SNS NNS
Position 52° 15.0' N, 4° 17.0' E 59° 20.0' E, 1° 00.0' E
Time of year April-May September-November
Water depth (m) 16 100
M2 max amplitude (m s-1) 0.75 0.15
Max current (m s-1) 1.0 0.6
Delta T (deg C) mixed 7-1
Thermocline depth (m) mixed 35-100
Delta S 1 small
Halocline depth (m) 5-10 cf. thermocline depth
Max wind speed (m s-1) 20 25
Max wave height (m) 5 10
Max wave period (s) 8 10
Internal motion No Yes
Sediment muddy-sand muddy-sand
Biology eutrophic oligotrophic

At both locations measurements were concentrated at a central position with additional measurements being made to estimate horizontal gradients. Moored instruments (including current meters, temperature and pressure sensors, fluorometers, transmissometers, nutrient analysers and meteorological sensors) were deployed between 7 September and 5 November 1998 at the NNS and between 29 March and 25 May 1999 at the SNS. Each experiment was supported by intensive measurement series made from oceanographic ships and involving turbulence dissipation profiler CTD, particle size profilers, optical profilers, benthic sampling and water bottle sampling.

Details of the cruises were as follows:

Site Ship
(nationality)
Cruise
Mnemonic
Date
NNS Valdivia (GER) VA174 5 - 17 Sep 1998
  Dana (DK) D1198 14 - 26 Oct 1998
  Pelagia (NL) PE125 19 - 30 Oct 1998
  Challenger (UK) CH140 22 Oct - 9 Nov 1998
SNS Pelagia (NL) PE135 29 Mar - 9 Apr 1999
  Mitra (NL) MT0499 19 - 30 Apr 1999
  Belgica (BE) BG9912 17 - 21 May 1999

Data Activity or Cruise Information

Data Activity

Start Date (yyyy-mm-dd) 1998-10-20
End Date (yyyy-mm-dd) 1998-10-20
Organization Undertaking ActivityDanish Institute for Fisheries Research (now Technical University of Denmark, National Institute of Aquatic Resources)
Country of OrganizationDenmark
Originator's Data Activity IdentifierD1198_CTD_CTD25
Platform Categorylowered unmanned submersible

BODC Sample Metadata Report for D1198_CTD_CTD25

Sample reference number Nominal collection volume(l) Bottle rosette position Bottle firing sequence number Minimum pressure sampled (dbar) Maximum pressure sampled (dbar) Depth of sampling point (m) Bottle type Sample quality flag Bottle reference Comments
382898    5.00        2.20    3.50    2.80 Niskin bottle No problem reported    
382899    5.00       83.80   85.10   83.60 Niskin bottle No problem reported    
383102    5.00       17.40   18.10   17.60 Niskin bottle No problem reported    
383103    5.00       32.80   33.60   32.90 Niskin bottle No problem reported    
383104    5.00       42.90   43.70   42.90 Niskin bottle No problem reported    
383105    5.00       64.10   64.60   63.70 Niskin bottle No problem reported    

Please note:the supplied parameters may not have been sampled from all the bottle firings described in the table above. Cross-match the Sample Reference Number above against the SAMPRFNM value in the data file to identify the relevant metadata.

Cruise

Cruise Name D1198
Departure Date 1998-10-14
Arrival Date 1998-10-26
Principal Scientist(s)André W Visser (Danish Institute for Fisheries Research)
Ship RV Dana

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