Metadata Report for BODC Series Reference Number 2222367

• 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

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.

If the Information Provider does not provide a specific attribution statement, or if you are using Information from several Information Providers and multiple attributions are not practical in your product or application, you may consider using the following:

"Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v1.0."

Narrative Documents

Teledyne RDI Workhorse Sentinel 600 kHz Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP)

The Workhorse Sentinel is a self-contained ADCP that can be used either on a mooring or mounted in the hull of a moving vessel. Its 4-beam design provides a redundant data source (in case of a blocked or damaged beam), an independent data quality measure (error velocity) and reduces the variance in data, thereby improving data reliability, quality and accuracy.

Real-time data can be transmitted to shore via a cable link or acoustic modem or they can be stored internally. Sensors for bottom tracking, pressure and directional wave measurements can be added to the instrument and a special casing is available for deeper applications.

Specifications

Further details can be found in the manufacturer's specification sheet.

Processing by BODC of Moored ADCP data at the Whittard Canyon

The data arrived at BODC in .txt format containing data collected from three 75kHz downward-looking Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCPs) and three 600 kHz upward-looking ADCPs deployed on the Whittard mooring during cruises DY103, DY116 and DY130. The data were reformatted to BODC's internal NetCDF format. The following table shows the mapping of the variables received to appropriate BODC parameter codes:

Channels that were not transferred are available in the originator's format upon request.

The reformatted data were visualised using the in-house EDSERPLO software. Suspect data were marked by adding an appropriate quality control flag, and missing data were set to an appropriate value and flagged. The DY130 moored 600 kHz ADCP series was split by year to reduce file size.

Processing by Originator of Whittard Canyon Mooring 75kHz and 600 kHz ADCP data for RRS Discovery Cruises DY103, DY116 and DY130

Upward Looking 75 kHz ADCP setup

An upward looking 75 kHz 4-beam Teledyne Workhorse Long Range Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) was deployed on a single-point mooring at Whittard Canyon during RRS Discovery cruises DY103, DY116, and DY130. Data were processed from raw .000 files in WinADCP, outputting only data that includes water column measurements. The ADCP was deployed and data were recorded for each cruise as follows:

Downward Looking 600 kHz ADCP setup

A downward looking 600 kHz 4-beam Teledyne Workhorse Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) was deployed on a single-point mooring at Whittard Canyon during RRS Discovery cruises DY103, DY116, and DY130. Data were processed from raw .000 files in WinADCP, outputting only data that includes water column measurements. The ADCP was deployed and data were recorded for each cruise as follows:

Additional information on mooring deployments can be found in the DY103, DY116, DY130 and JC231 cruise reports.

Project Information

Marine LTSS: CLASS (Climate Linked Atlantic Sector Science)

Introduction

CLASS is a five year (2018 to 2023) programme, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and extended until March 2024.

Scientific Rationale

The ocean plays a vital role in sustaining life on planet Earth, providing us with both living resources and climate regulation. The trajectory of anthropogenically driven climate change will be substantially controlled by the ocean due to its absorption of excess heat and carbon from the atmosphere, with consequent impacts on ocean resources that remain poorly understood. In an era of rapid planetary change, expanding global population and intense resource exploitation, it is vital that there are internationally coordinated ocean observing and prediction systems so policy makers can make sound evidence-based decisions about how to manage our interaction with the ocean. CLASS will underpin the UK contribution to these systems, documenting and understanding change in the marine environment, evaluating the impact of climate change and effectiveness of conservation measures and predicting the future evolution of marine environments. Over the five-year period CLASS will enhance the cost-effectiveness of observing systems by migrating them towards cutting edge autonomous technologies and developing new sensors. Finally, CLASS will create effective engagement activities ensuring academic partners have transparent access to NERC marine science capability through graduate training partnerships and access to shipborne, lab based and autonomous facilities, and modelling capabilities.

Data Activity or Cruise Information

Data Activity

Whittard Canyon Mooring - March 2021 Instrument Rig Configuration: WCM_032021

This rig was deployed as a contribution to the Climate Linked Atlantic Section Science (CLASS) project's sustained observations and marine protected area studies, supported by the UK Natural Environment Research Council (grant number NE/R015953/1).

The Whittard Canyon mooring deployed on DY130 was anchored by a 1T Sinker and kept buoyant with 3 glass spheres.

Instruments deployed on the rig

Upon recovery of the two MicroCAT sensors during the RRS James Cook JC231 cruise, it was noted that Sea-Bird SBE 37 SN: 7297 was not logging data due to depleted battery pack. Sea-Bird SBE 37 SN: 7297 instrument had a sample interval of 10s rather than the expected interval of 1800s, causing battery pack depletion. The Sea-Bird SBE 37 SN: 7298 was still logging data upon recovery at an interval of 1800s. The data passed to BODC for Sea-Bird SBE 37 SN: 7297 had a sampling interval of 10 seconds, and ended on 7th April 2021 09:40:03 due to battery pack depletion.

Related Data Activity activities are detailed in Appendix 1

Cruise

Complete Cruise Metadata Report is available here

Fixed Station Information

Fixed Station Information

Fixed Station - Whittard Canyon - The Canyons Marine Conservation Zone

The Canyons MCZ is located in the far south-west corner of the UK continental shelf, more than 330 km from Land's End, Cornwall. It encompasses the steep part of the shelf break where the seabed drops from a depth of 100 m to the oceanic abyssal plain at 2000 m. It is unique within the context of England's largely shallow seas due to its depth, sea-bed topography and the coral features it contains.

There are two large canyons within the site, which add to its topographic complexity: the Explorer Canyon to the north and the Dangaard Canyon below it. The wider Whittard Canyon area encapsulates the Canyons MCZ and also includes a network of submarine canyons to the West. The MCZ, also known as a Marine Protected Area (MPA), was designated in November 2013 under the Marine and Coastal Access Act (2009). The Canyons MCZ covers an area of 661 km², which extends to approximately 5200 km² when Whittard Canyon is included.

On the northernmost wall of the Explorer Canyon is a patch of live Cold-water coral reef (Lophelia pertusa) and Coral gardens, both of which are a OSPAR threatened and/or declining habitat. This is the only known example of living Cold-water coral reef recorded within England's seas, making it unique in these waters.

Cold-water corals and Coral gardens typically support a range of other organisms. The coral provides a three-dimensional structure and a variety of microhabitats that provide shelter and an attachment surface for other species. Both Cold-water corals and Coral gardens can be long-lived but are extremely slow growing (at about 6 mm a year), making protection important for their conservation. Another reef-forming cold-water coral, Madrepora oculata, is also present in the site.

The variety of deep-sea bed communities present are indicative of the range of substrates found in and around the canyons, including bedrock, biogenic reef, coral rubble, coarse sediment, mud and sand. These biological communities include cold-water coral communities (Lophelia pertusa and Madrepora oculata), Coral gardens, feather star (Leptometra celtica) assemblages and Sea-pen and burrowing megafauna communities (including, burrowing anemone fields, squat lobster (Munida sp.) assemblages, barnacle assemblages and deep-sea sea-pen (Kophobelemnon sp.) fields).

Sampling History

Related Fixed Station activities are detailed in Appendix 2

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:

Appendix 1: WCM_032021

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.

Appendix 2: Whittard Canyon - The Canyons Marine Conservation Zone

Related series for this Fixed Station 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.