Metadata Report for BODC Series Reference Number 1677812

• 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 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

Non-toxic (underway) sea water supply

A source of uncontaminated near-surface (commonly 3 to 7 m) seawater pumped continuously to shipboard laboratories on research vessels. There is typically a temperature sensor near the intake (known as the hull temperature) to provide measurements that are as close as possible to the ambient water temperature. The flow from the supply is typically directed through continuously logged sensors such as a thermosalinograph and a fluorometer. Water samples are often collected from the non-toxic supply. The system is also referred to as the underway supply.

AMT10 chlorophyll-a measured fluormetrically from surface underway samples

Data Acquisition and Analysis

These data originate from analyses on samples collected from the underway non-toxic supply (6 m) on a four hourly basis and subsequently every two hours.

250 ml of water samples were filtered for chlorophyll quantification analysis using 0.7 µm pore size Whatman GF/F filters. Chlorophyll samples were prepared on board for analysis by acetone extraction following the procedures of Welschmeyer (1994). Filters were extracted in 90% acetone for 24 hrs in the dark, then removed and defrosted in the dark for 30 to 40 minutes and then analysed with a Turner Designs AU10 fluorometer.

References Cited

Welschmeyer N.A., 1994. Fluorometric analysis of chlorophyll-a in the presence of chlorophyll-b and phaeopigments. Limnology and Oceanography, 39, 1985-1992.

Instrumentation Description

Not relevant to this dataset.

BODC Data Processing Procedures

Data were submitted to BODC in an Excel spreadsheet and were accessioned under BODC archive PML020141. The sample metadata provided (date, time, lat, lon and depth) were checked against information held in the database. There were some discrepancies between the dates in the originators file and those assigned from the database: Sample 13 April at 02:00 was loaded with 14 April; sample 20 April at 01:00 was assigned 21 April; 21 April at 01:00 was assigned 22 April; 23 April at 01:00 was assigned 24 April; 24 April was assigned 25 April; 26 April at 00:55 was assigned 27 April and the sample from 03 May at 17:50 was assigned a time of 19:50 according to the database. Two of the originators samples (A10-UW-65 and A10-UW-105) were not loaded to the database as no dates or times were provided. Two samples were repeated, in these cases, the average and standard deviation were loaded to the database.

Parameter codes defined in BODC parameter dictionary were assigned to the variable. The units supplied in the spreadsheet were mg m^-3, which match the units of the BODC parameter assigned. Therefore no unit conversions were applied.

Data were then loaded to the database following defined BODC data banking procedures.

A parameter mapping table is provided below;

Data Quality Report

BODC were not informed by the data originators of any suspect data and did not apply any flags after checking the data.

Problem Report

Not relevant to this dataset.

Project Information

The Atlantic Meridional Transect (AMT) - Phase 1 (1995-2000)

Who was involved in the project?

The Atlantic Meridional Transect (AMT) programme was designed by and implemented as a collaboration between Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) and Southampton Oceanography Centre (SOC). The programme was hosted by Plymouth Marine Laboratory and involved additional researchers from UK and international universities throughout its duration.

What was the project about?

When AMT began in 1995 the programme provided a platform for international scientific collaboration, including the calibration and validation of SeaWiFs measurements and products. The programme provided an exceptional opportunity for nationally and internationally driven collaborative research and provided a platform for excellent multi-disciplinary oceanographic research. As an in situ observation system, the data collected by the AMT consortium informed on changes in biodiversity and function of the Atlantic ecosystem during this period of rapid change to our climate and biosphere.

The scientific aims were to assess:

• mesoscale to basin scale phytoplankton processes
• the functional interpretation of bio-optical signatures
• the seasonal, regional and latitudinal variations in mesozooplankton dynamics

When was the project active?

The first phase of the AMT programme ran from 1995 to 2000 and consisted of a total of 12 cruises. A second phase of funding allowed the project to continue for the period 2002 to 2006 with a further 6 cruises.

Brief summary of the project fieldwork/data

The AMT programme undertook biological, chemical and physical oceanographic research during the annual return passage of the RRS James Clark Ross between the UK and the Falkland Islands or the RRS Discovery between the UK and Cape Town, a distance of up to 13,500 km. This transect crossed a range of ecosystems from sub-polar to tropical and from euphotic shelf seas and upwelling systems to oligotrophic mid-ocean gyres. The transect route was covered north-south in September/October and south-north in April/May of each year.

The measurements of hydrographic and bio-optical properties, plankton community structure and primary production completed on the first 12 transects (1995-2000) represent the most coherent set of repeated biogeochemical observations over ocean basin scales. This unique dataset has led to several important discoveries concerning the identification of oceanic provinces, validation of ocean colour algorithms, distributions of picoplankton, identifying new regional sinks of pCO2 and variability in rates of primary production and respiration.

Who funded the project?

The programme was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and further support was received from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) with equipment and funding from the Sea-viewing Wild Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) project.

Data Activity or Cruise Information

Cruise

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:

SeaDataNet Quality Control Flags

The following single character qualifying flags may be associated with one or more individual parameters with a data cycle: