Metadata Report for BODC Series Reference Number 1876706
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
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Parameters |
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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.
Inorganic nutrients concentrations (micromolar sensitivity nitrate plus nitrite, phosphate and silicate) for UK SOLAS cruise Discovery D326
Originator's Protocol for Data Acquisition and Analysis
Samples for inorganic nutrient analyses were drawn from Niskin bottles deployed on the CTD rosette frame, and from the ship's non-toxic pumped water supply. Samples were taken in 25 ml sterilin coulter counter vials, and refrigerated at 4 degree C prior to analysis, which took place within 24 hours. Analysis for nitrate plus nitrite, phosphate and silicate was undertaken on a Skalar San Plus autoanalyser following methods described by Kirkwood (1994), with the exception that the pump rates through the phosphate line were increased by a factor of 1.5 to improve reproducibility and peak shape. Lines were washed daily with 0.5 M sodium hydroxide and 10% Decon (N, Si). Wash time and sample time were 90 seconds. Lines were flooded with Decon for transit. A single set of mixed standards were made up by diluting 5 mM solutions made from weighed dried salts in 1 L of ASW into plastic 1 L volumetric.
Data processing was undertaken using Skalar proprietary software. Time series of baseline, instrument sensitivity, calibration curve correlation coefficient, nitrate reduction efficiency and duplicate difference were compiled and updated on a daily basis.
More information about the performance of the autoanalyser can be obtained from the cruise report.
References Cited
Kirkwood D.S., 1994. Nutrients: Practical notes on their determination in seawater. ICES Techniques in Marine Environmental Sciences report 17. International Council for the Exploration of the Seas, Copenhagen, 25 pp.
BODC Data Processing Procedures
Data were received by BODC in Microsoft Excel spreadsheet format as part of the underway and CTD samples data compendium files compiled by Micha Rijkenberg and containing the nutrient data plus other parameters measured by various project participants.
CTD data were identified using CTD cast number, bottle number and bottle firing depth. Underway data were identified using samples identifiers and sampling date and time. No discrepancies were found between the source files and existing records in BODC database.
In four instances samples were present in duplicate. If both values were flagged as above the limit of detection by the originator the values were averaged and the standard deviation calculated prior to loading in the database. If one value was below the LOD and the other value above then only the value above LOD was loaded to the database. No standard deviation was derived if both values were below LOD.
Parameter codes defined in BODC parameter dictionary were assigned to the variables as follows:
| Originator's Parameter | Units | Description | BODC Parameter Code | Units | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrate | µM | Concentration of nitrate plus nitrite per unit volume of the water column | NTRZAATX | µmol L-1 | none |
| - | - | Concentration standard deviation of nitrate plus nitrite per unit volume of the water column | SDNZAATX | µmol L-1 | BODC derived |
| Phosphate | µM | Concentration of phosphate per unit volume of the water column | PHOSAATX | µmol L-1 | none |
| - | - | Concentration standard deviation of phosphate per unit volume of the water column | SDPHAATX | µmol L-1 | BODC derived |
| Silicate | µM | Concentration of dissolved silicate | SLCAAATX | µmol L-1 | none |
| - | - | Concentration standard deviation of silicate per unit volume of the water column | SLSDAATX | µmol L-1 | BODC derived |
The data were then banked according to BODC standard procedures for sample data.
Data Quality Report
One silicate value (NT83, 16/01/2008 11:00) was clearly out of range and has been flagged suspect in the database.
The following information was provided by the originator:
The limits of detection were defined as twice the level of background noise averaged out over the course of the cruise. These were 0.28 µM for the nitrate+nitrite line, 0.06 µM for the silicate line and 0.04 µM for the phosphate line.
The error on the data were as follows: 1.20% for nitrate+nitrite concentrations, 1.48% for silicate concentrations and 1.79% for phosphate concentration.
Project Information
UK Surface Ocean Lower Atmosphere Study
The UK Surface Ocean Lower Atmosphere Study (UK SOLAS) is the UK's contribution to the international SOLAS programme.
UK SOLAS formed interdisciplinary teams to address three primary aims
- To determine the mechanisms controlling rates of chemical transfer and improve estimates of chemical exchanges
- To evaluate the impact of these exchanges on the biogeochemistry of the surface ocean and lower atmosphere and on feedbacks between the ocean and atmosphere
- To quantify the impacts of these boundary layer processes on the global climate system
UK SOLAS started in 2003, to run for seven years. The programme was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council.
Funded projects
In total, 19 projects have been funded by UK SOLAS, over four funding rounds.
| Project Title | Short Title | Principal Investigator |
|---|---|---|
| Impact of atmospheric dust derived material and nutrient inputs on near-surface plankton microbiota in the tropical North Atlantic | Dust | Eric Achterberg |
| The role and effects of photoprotective compounds in marine plankton | - | Steve Archer |
| Field observations of sea spray, gas fluxes and whitecaps | SEASAW | Ian Brooks |
| Factors influencing the biogeochemistry of iodine in the marine environment | - | Lucy Carpenter |
| Global model of aerosol processes - effects of aerosol in the marine atmospheric boundary layer | GLOMAP | Ken Carslaw |
| Ecological controls on fluxes of dimethyl sulphide (DMS) to the atmosphere | - | David Green |
| Dust outflow and deposition to the ocean | DODO | Ellie Highwood |
| Investigation of near surface production of iodocarbons - rates and exchanges | INSPIRE | Gill Malin |
| Reactive halogens in the marine boundary layer | RHaMBLe | Gordon McFiggans |
| The role of bacterioneuston in determining trace gas exchange rates | - | Colin Murrell |
| Measuring methanol in sea water and investigating its sources and sinks in the marine environment | - | Phil Nightingale |
| The impact of coastal upwellings on air-sea exchange of climatically important gases | ICON | Carol Robinson |
| The Deep Ocean Gas Exchange Experiment | DOGEE | Rob Upstill-Goddard |
| High wind air-sea exchanges | HiWASE | Margaret Yelland |
| Aerosol characterisation and modelling in the marine environment | ACMME | James Allan |
| 3D simulation of dimethyl sulphide (DMS) in the north east Atlantic | - | Icarus Allen |
| Processes affecting the chemistry and bioavailability of dust borne iron | - | Michael Krom |
| The chemical structure of the lowermost atmosphere | - | Alastair Lewis |
| Factors influencing the oxidative chemistry of the marine boundary layer | - | Paul Monks |
UK SOLAS has also supported ten tied studentships, and two CASE studentships.
Fieldwork
UK SOLAS fieldwork has included eight dedicated research cruises in the North Atlantic Ocean. Continuous measurements were made aboard aboard the Norwegian weather ship, Polarfront, until her decommission in 2009. Time series have been established at the SOLAS Cape Verde Observatory, and at the Plymouth Marine Laboratory L4 station. Experiments have taken place at the Bergen mesocosm facility.
A series of collaborative aircraft campaigns have added complementary atmospheric data. These campaigns were funded by UK SOLAS, African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyses (AMMA-UK), Dust and Biomass Experiment (DABEX) and the Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurements (FAAM).
Weblink: http://www.nerc.ac.uk/research/programmes/solas/
Data Activity or Cruise Information
Cruise
| Cruise Name | D326 |
| Departure Date | 2008-01-05 |
| Arrival Date | 2008-02-05 |
| Principal Scientist(s) | Eric Pieter Achterberg (University of Southampton School of Ocean and Earth Science) |
| 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 |
