Metadata Report for BODC Series Reference Number 2121001
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 |
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Data Identifiers |
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Time Co-ordinates(UT) |
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Spatial Co-ordinates | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Parameters |
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Definition of BOTTFLAG | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BOTTFLAG | Definition |
|---|---|
| 0 | The sampling event occurred without any incident being reported to BODC. |
| 1 | The filter in an in-situ sampling pump physically ruptured during sample resulting in an unquantifiable loss of sampled material. |
| 2 | Analytical 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. |
| 3 | The 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. |
| 4 | During 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. |
| 5 | Water was reported to be escaping from the bottle as the rosette was being recovered. |
| 6 | The bottle seals were observed to be incorrectly seated and the bottle was only part full of water on recovery. |
| 7 | Either 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). |
| 8 | There is reason to doubt the accuracy of the sampling depth associated with the sample. |
| 9 | The bottle air vent had not been closed prior to deployment giving rise to a risk of sample contamination through leakage. |
Definition of Rank |
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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
ThermoFinnigan EA 1112 Flash Elemental Analyser
The ThermoFinnigan EA 1112 Flash Elemental Analyser is designed to determine total carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, sulphur and oxygen in a sample. The sample is completely and instantaneously oxidised by flash combustion, which converts all organic and inorganic substances into combustion products. The resulting combustion gases pass through a reduction furnace and are swept into the chromatographic column by the helium carrier gas. The gases are separated in the column and detected by the thermal conductivity detector which gives an output signal proportional to the concentration of the individual components of the mixture.
ThermoFinnigan is part of the Thermo Fisher Scientific group.
Further details can be found in the manufacturer's specification sheet.
Stand Alone Pump (SAP)
A submersible battery powered water pump that sucks water through various filters leaving the materials of interest on the filter for analysis. SAPs are deployed clamped to a hydrographic wire and may be used to sample at depths of up to 6000 m. A SAP can pump thousands of litres of water over a few hours.
RRS Discovery Cruise D321 (D321A) Nutrient concentrations (POC, PON, BSi, Calcite and Thorium) from Stand Alone Pumping System (SAPS)
Originator's Data Acquisition and Processing
Sampling Strategy
Prior to use, the Stand Alone Pumping System (SAPS) equipment was triple washed with Milli-Q water, all surfaces coming into contact with filters were rinsed with methanol and again triple washed with Milli-Q. A 53 µm nitex prefilter was fitted to the system and samples were collected on a 1 µm nitex mesh. Two SAPS were deployed to sample from two depths, one being the chlorophyll maximum. Following SAPS deployment, SAPS were disassembled and the 1 µm mesh was rinsed with calcium-free seawater to remove the 1 µm - 53 µm size fraction, which was then retained. Samples were then stored in a manner identical to those processed using tangential flow filtration.
Large particulate matter was collected using an in situ Stand Alone Pumping System (SAPS) deployed for 1.5 hrs just beneath the mixed layer. Approximately 1500-2000 L of seawater was filtered through a 53 µm Nitex screen. Particles were rinsed off the screen using thorium-free seawater, and the particle suspension quantitatively split into four subsamples using a Folsom splitter. Each split was then analyzed for one of the following: 234Th, POC, calcite and opal (Sanders et al., 2010).
Materials and Methodology
SAPS are a self contained pumping unit which are used to filter large volumes of water in situ. These were used to filter large volumes of water and collect particles for determination of elemental ratios between 234Th and carbon, nitrogen, biogenic silica and calcite. A 293 mm filter housing capable of mounting two filters in series was used to sequentially filter through nitex screen of 53 µm and 1 µm pore size, the recommended procedure by Buesseler et al., (2006). The SAPS were deployed at 60 m and 100 m whenever a 234Th profile was collected.
Processing of the 234Th SAPS samples: The nitex screen was removed from the filter housing and the particles rinsed off using thorium free seawater. The resuspended particles were then split using a Folsom splitter for analysis of 234Th, POC/N, biogenic silica and calcite. The 234Th split was filtered on to 142 mm diameter (0.8 µm pore size), polycarbonate, Isopore filters. The POC/N split was filtered onto 25 mm, pre-weighed, pre-combusted GFF filters and stored at -20°C. The biogenic silica and calcite splits were filtered on to 25 mm, 0.2 µm polycarbonate filters and stored at -20°C. The 234Th splits were counted in the same manner as the total 234Th samples and the other splits are to be returned to NOC for processing. Further information can be found in the cruise report
BODC Data Processing
Data arrived at BODC in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet containing all the samples taken during the cruise. The following table shows how the variables supplied were mapped to BODC parameter codes.
| Originator's Parameter | Originator's Units | Parameter description | BODC Parameter code | BODC Units | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POC (Particulate Organic Carbon) | µmol l-1 | Concentration of carbon {'POC'} per unit volume of the water body [particulate >GF/F phase] by filtration and elemental analysis | CORGCZP1 | µmol l-1 | |
| PON (Particulate Organic Nitrogen) | µmol l-1 | Concentration of nitrogen (total) {'PON'} per unit volume of the water body [particulate >GF/F phase] by filtration and elemental analysis | NTOTCNP1 | µmol l-1 | |
| BSi (Biogenic Silica) | µmol l-1 | Concentration of silicate {SiO4} per unit volume of the water body [dissolved plus reactive particulate <GF/F phase] by filtration and colorimetric autoanalysis | SLCAAAD1 | µmol l-1 | |
| Calcite | µmol l-1 | Concentration of carbon (inorganic) {PIC} per unit volume of the water body [particulate >0.2um phase] by filtration, acid digestion and inductively-coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy | SLCAAAD1 | µmol l-1 | |
| Thorium | disintegrations per minute per litre (dpm l-1) | Activity of thorium-234 {234Th} per unit volume of the water body [dissolved plus reactive particulate <0.8um phase] by filtration, Mn absorption and beta spectroscopy and decay correction to sampling time | T234SPD8 | Millibequerels per litre | dpm l-1 multiplied by 16.666 to convert to millibequerels per litre |
Data Quality Report
None
Problem Report
None
References
Sanders et al., 2010, Does a ballast effect occur in the surface ocean?, Geophysical Research Letters, VOL. 37, L08602,doi:10.1029/2010GL042574
Buesseler, K.O., Benitez-Nelson, C.R., Moran, S.B., Burd, A., Charette, M., Cochran, J.K., Coppola, L., Fisher, N.S., Fowler, S.W., Gardner, W.D., Guo, L.D., Gustafsson, O., Lamborg, C., Masque, P., Miquel, J.C., Passow, U., Santschi, P.H., Savoye, N., Stewart G., Trull, T. (2006). An assessment of particulate organic carbon to thorium- 234 ratios in the ocean and their impact on the application of 234Th as a POC flux proxy. Marine Chemistry, 100, 213-233.
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.
Data Activity or Cruise Information
Data Activity
| Start Date (yyyy-mm-dd) | 2007-07-30 |
| End Date (yyyy-mm-dd) | 2007-07-30 |
| Organization Undertaking Activity | National Oceanography Centre, Southampton |
| Country of Organization | United Kingdom |
| Originator's Data Activity Identifier | D321A_SAP_16209D10053 |
| Platform Category | lowered unmanned submersible |
BODC Sample Metadata Report for D321A_SAP_16209D10053
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 629204 | 100.00 | Stand-alone pump | 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.
Related Data Activity activities are detailed in Appendix 1
Cruise
| Cruise Name | D321 (D321A) |
| Departure Date | 2007-07-24 |
| Arrival Date | 2007-08-23 |
| Principal Scientist(s) | John T Allen (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 |
Appendix 1: D321A_SAP_16209D10053
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.
| Series Identifier | Data Category | Start date/time | Start position | Cruise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2120600 | Water sample data | 2007-07-30 06:00:00 | 59.68785 N, 20.4112 W | RRS Discovery D321 (D321A) |
