Southern Ocean CTD and Bottle Data from 1993 WOCE Cruise

Oceanographic data from 128 CTD vertical profile stations and over 2500 Niskin bottle water samples collected during the 1993 WOCE cruise between Tasmania and Antarctica. Measurements include salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, nutrients, and carbon isotopes from sections SR3 and P11. The dataset was collected by the AU_AADC organization from March to May 1993.

Use Cases

• Analyze vertical water column structure using `pressure`, `temperature (C) (ITS-90)`, and `salinity (PSS78)` columns.
• Study biogeochemical gradients by correlating `dissolved oxygen (mmol.l-1)` with nutrient measurements like silicate and nitrate+nitrite.
• Assess data quality and sensor performance by comparing `CTD salinity (PSS78)` with `bottle salinity (PSS78)` and the `bottle quality flag`.
• Map the spatial extent of measurements using `start position`, `bottom position`, and `finish position` columns along the cruise track.
• Calculate water mass properties and anomalies using `density-1000 (kg.m-3)`, `sigma-T`, and `geopotential anomaly` fields.

Strengths

• 128 CTD vertical profile stations, most extending to near the sea floor.
• Over 2500 discrete water samples analyzed for a suite of chemical and biological parameters.
• Includes quality control flags for bottle salinity data and standard deviation metrics for CTD sensor readings.

Limitations

• Data is from a single cruise in 1993, providing only a temporal snapshot.
• Specific sample sizes for individual measured parameters (e.g., barium, carbon isotopes) are not detailed.
• Unknown total row count and file format may complicate initial data loading.

Provenance

Source

AU_AADC (Australian Antarctic Data Centre).

Collection Method

Ship-based measurements using CTD rosette systems and Niskin bottle sampling.

Time Range

March to May 1993.

Freshness

1993-05-02

Geography

Southern Ocean along WOCE sections SR3 and P11, between Tasmania and Antarctica.