North Atlantic

Electrical conductivity of the water column; Salinity of the water column; Horizontal velocity of the water column (currents); Temperature of the water column

Current meters; water temperature sensor; salinity sensor; CTD; thermistor chains

The North Atlantic Norwegian Sea Exchange (NANSEN) data set comprises hydrographic profiles (temperature and salinity) and time series of current velocity, temperature and occasionally conductivity from the North Atlantic Ocean. The measurements were collected between 1986 and 1988 using conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) profilers, moored current meters and thermistor chains. Data collection was undertaken by six laboratories in four countries (Faroes, Germany, Norway and the UK). The NANSEN project was conceived by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) Oceanic Hydrography Working Group. It aimed to study the hydrography and circulation of the Iceland Basin and the temporal and spatial variability of the inflows and outflows across the Greenland-Scotland Ridge. Current meter data from a number of laboratories involved in NANSEN and CTD data collected by UK participants are managed by the British Oceanographic Data Centre (BODC). A further 50 current meter series have been collected, but have not yet been acquired by BODC. The data will be subjected to the usual BODC quality control procedures for current meter series. The hydrographic data set collected during the NANSEN experiment has been compiled by the ICES Secretariat.

British Oceanographic Data Centre
Joseph Proudman Building 6 Brownlow Street
Liverpool
Merseyside
L3 5DA
United Kingdom