Metadata Report for BODC Series Reference Number 2128903

• 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

Skalar San+ Autoanalyzer

The San+ Autoanalyzer is an Automated Wet Chemistry Analyzer (Continuous Flow Analyzer) which has been designed as a modular system to measure a variety of water chemistry characteristics, such as nutrient concentrations in seawater. Individual modules are tailored to specific needs. It uses Continuous Flow Analysis (CFA), allowing up to 16 analytical measurements to be made on a single sample simultaneously. The system comprises a sampler, chemistry section, detector and specialist software.

Chemistry section
The San+ includes a chemistry section which has hundreds of applications. It houses up to five chemistry cartridges with built-in dosing pump and air injection systems, up to five interchangeable cartridges with build-in photometric detectors and five separate waste receptacles. The throughput of the analyser depends upon application and can vary from 25 to 120 analyses per hour. It has a double diameter pump deck for accurate dosing with 32 pump tubes, two separated pump decks for 2 x 2 channel concept, and controlled synchronised eight channel air injection with separate built-in compressor for increased flow stability and fast start-up. It has easy access to chemistry cartridges with flexible ultra low carry-over connections between dialysers, reactors, coils, flow cells and other components, leak detection, 3-cuffs long life pump tubes, and has manually operated and automatic rinsing valves for easy automatic start up and overnight operation.

Detectors
The San+ range of detectors comprises dual channel colorimetric detectors, the unique matrix correction detector with automatic background correction for difficult sample matrixes, but also covers a range of detectors for I.R., U.V., fluorimetry, ISE, flame photometry, refractometers, density meters, etc.

Software
The San+ 'Flow Access' windows software package controls the complete analyser, with auto start-up, function control, and auto-scaling, pre-and post run sample dilutions, result calculation and statistics. Up to 16 channels can be handled simultaneously, with multiple samplers, and chemistries can be grouped for analysis.

The San+ is also known as San++.

National Oceanography Centre (NOC) torpedo towfish water sampler

The NOC torpedo towfish water sampler is an epoxy resin-coated steel torpedo shaped object, designed to be towed alongside a moving ship at speeds of one to 12 knots. A teflon-lined tube runs through the centre of the fish and is connected to a pump on board the ship. Stabilising fins at the rear of the fish ensure that the sampling hose points forwards and that the fish maintains a roughly constant depth. The system is typically used for continuous, underway, clean sampling (e.g. trace metal studies) of near surface waters.

Inorganic Nutrient Samples from tow fish for RRS Discovery Cruise DY017

Originator's Protocol for Data Acquisition and Analysis

Underway surface samples were collected by pumping surface seawater into a trace metal clean sampling laboratory using a Teflon diaphragm pump (Almatec A-15, Germany) connected by an acid-washed braided PVC tubing to a towed fish positioned at approximately 2-3m depth alongside the ship. Seawater samples were filtered in-line using a 0.2m Sartonbran P membrane filter capsule (Sartorius). Surface seawater samples were collected at and in between stations when possible, a total of 49 surface samples were collected.

Analysis for micro molar concentrations of nitrate and nitrite (Total Oxidised Nitrogen or TON), phosphate and silicate was undertaken on a Skalar San+ segmented flow autoanalyser following methods described by Kirkwood (1996). An artificial seawater matrix (ASW) of 40g/litre sodium chloride was used as the inter-sample wash and standard matrix. A single set of mixed standards were made up by diluting 5mM solutions made from weighed dried salts in 1 litre. The accuracy of the analyser was tested by running certified reference material (CRM) of nutrients on each run. Data processing was undertaken using Skalar proprietary software. The wash time and sample time were 90 seconds; the lines were washed daily with Milli-Q and 10% Decon. For more information see thecruise report.

References

Kirkwood, D.S., (1996). Nutrients: Practical notes on their determination in seawater. In: ICES Techniques in Marine Environmental Sciences Report 17, International Council for the Exploration of the Seas, Copenhagen, 25 pp.

BODC Data Processing Procedures

The sample data were supplied to BODC in xlsx format. Data received were loaded into the BODC database using established BODC data banking procedure. Originator's parameters were mapped with BODC codes as follows;

Project Information

NOCS National Capability

The National Oceanography Centre Southampton National Capability focuses on long term science concerned with basin/decadal variability of the Ocean.

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: