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Metadata Report for BODC Series Reference Number 34021


Metadata Summary

Data Description

Data Category Offshore sea floor pressure series
Instrument Type Tide gauge (unspecified)
Instrument Mounting fixed benthic node
Originating Country United Kingdom
Originator -
Originating Organization Institute of Oceanographic Sciences Bidston Laboratory (now National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool)
Processing Status banked
Online delivery of data Download available - Ocean Data View (ODV) format
Project(s) IOS North Channel Experiment 1979
 

Data Identifiers

Originator's Identifier 792/979/217
BODC Series Reference 34021
 

Time Co-ordinates(UT)

Start Time (yyyy-mm-dd hh:mm) 1979-08-05 09:14
End Time (yyyy-mm-dd hh:mm) 1979-09-22 09:44
Nominal Cycle Interval 900.0 seconds
 

Spatial Co-ordinates

Latitude 54.96160 N ( 54° 57.7' N )
Longitude 5.59490 W ( 5° 35.7' W )
Positional Uncertainty 0.1 to 0.5 n.miles
Minimum Sensor or Sampling Depth 157.0 m
Maximum Sensor or Sampling Depth 157.0 m
Minimum Sensor or Sampling Height 0.0 m
Maximum Sensor or Sampling Height 0.0 m
Sea Floor Depth 157.0 m
Sea Floor Depth Source -
Sensor or Sampling Distribution Fixed common depth - All sensors are grouped effectively at the same depth which is effectively fixed for the duration of the series
Sensor or Sampling Depth Datum Instantaneous - Depth measured below water line or instantaneous water body surface
Sea Floor Depth Datum Instantaneous - Depth measured below water line or instantaneous water body surface
 

Parameters

BODC CODERankUnitsTitle
AADYAA011DaysDate (time from 00:00 01/01/1760 to 00:00 UT on day)
AAFDZZ011DaysTime (time between 00:00 UT and timestamp)
PRSTPS011DecibarsPressure (measured variable) exerted by the water body plus atmosphere by fixed in-situ pressure sensor

Definition of Rank

  • Rank 1 is a one-dimensional parameter
  • Rank 2 is a two-dimensional parameter
  • Rank 0 is a one-dimensional parameter describing the second dimension of a two-dimensional parameter (e.g. bin depths for moored ADCP data)

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

Aanderaa Pressure Recorder Type TG-2A and WLR-5

Pressure recorder TG-2A (serial number 64) was used until the end of 1979. It was then returned to Aanderaa Instruments Limited who carried out modifications changing it to the specification of an Aanderaa WLR-5. Hence from 1980 onwards the instrument is known as Aanderaa WLR-5 (serial number 500).

The Aanderaa recorder uses a Digiquartz type 2-300a quartz crystal pressure transducer. The pressure sensor consists of a convoluted bellows linked to a 40kHz quartz crystal resonator coupled by piezoelectric action to an electronic resonator. The sensor pack is mounted in a low profile steel tripod frame 0.76m by 1.183m in size with the sensor level approximately 0.48m above the frame base. Data are recorded on to 0.25 inch magnetic tape on an Aanderaa data logger in the same case. A quartz crystal clock is used for controlling the sampling interval.

The data are recorded as 10 bit binary words in serial form with the frequency count from the sensor stored as the most and least significant counts. There is no temperature sensor. The tide gauge is usually deployed using a U-shaped mooring (i.e. buoy or pellet float to wire rope to tide gauge to ground line to anchor to wire rope to buoy), but W-shaped moorings are used in conjunction with either current meters or thermistor chains. A W-shaped mooring comprises pellet float to pellet line to sub-surface buoy to current meter or thermistor line to anchor weight to ground line to tide gauge to ground line to anchor weight to wire rope to surface buoy.

IOS Calibration and Data Processing of Off-Shore Tide Gauge Data

Calibration of pressure/frequency sensors and thermistors are carried out using the facilities and staff at I.O.S. Bidston with the exception of pre 1975 pressure/frequency sensors, which were calibrated in the pressure chamber at I.O.S. Wormley.

The data are copied from the logger magnetic tape to 9 track magnetic tape and disk. The data are either listed or plotted as an initial check. A program is then used to check the data from the temperature sensor channels, calculate and plot the temperature values and store them (if temperature sensor channels are available).

A second program performs a similar function for the pressure sensor channel, using the pressure frequency coefficient to convert each pressure frequency to the frequency at the reference temperature and calculating the pressures using the pressure frequency calibration. The data values, generally at 15 minute intervals, but occasionally at 10 minute intervals, of pressure are then plotted and stored. If waterhead is required, it may be computed by subtracting atmospheric pressure and applying the hydrostatic relation:-

H = P / ( d * g )
H = waterhead (cm)
P = pressure (0.01 mb)
d = density (kg/m3)
g = gravitational acceleration (m/s2)

Station B (North Channel) Data Processing Notes

Clock gained 4 seconds over 54 days 5 hours; the cycle interval and time values have been corrected.

Instrument characteristics and calibration factors

Aanderaa Pressure Recorder Type TG-2A, serial number 64
Original sampling interval 15 minutes
Integration period 100 s
Temperature coefficient No temperature correction made
Pressure sensitivity 6.110 counts/mb (at 11.66 °C)

To convert pressure to elevation the following values should be used:

Density (from CTD casts) 1026.1 kg/m3
Gravitational acceleration constant 9.815 m/s2

Project Information

IOS North Channel Experiment 1979

This experiment was conducted by I.O.S. Bidston in the North Channel of the Irish Sea, during August and September 1979, in order to study the tidal and non-tidal dynamics of the region.

Currents were measured at eight stations, sea bed pressures were measured at three stations and coastal tide gauges installed to measure sea surface elevations at four sites.

A density survey of the area was carried out by continuously monitoring sea surface temperature and sea water conductivity, and by taking profiles of temperature and conductivity with depth.


Data Activity or Cruise Information


No Data Activity or Cruise Information held for the Series


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