RV CIRLANA: CTD Profiles from European Shelf Cruises

Lowered CTD rosette data collected from CEFAS research cruises aboard the RV CIRLANA in June 1986. The dataset profiles the water column from surface to seabed across the European Shelf and Iberian Abyssal Plain, capturing core parameters like pressure, temperature, and conductivity. Sensor configurations varied by cruise, with later years adding fluorometers, optical backscatter sensors, transmissometers, and PAR light sensors.

Use Cases

• Calculating salinity profiles based on conductivity measurements using UNESCO 1978/1983 formulations.
• Analyzing vertical water column structure from surface to near-seabed profiles.
• Calibrating sensor data using water samples collected from bottles fired at specific depths.
• Studying temporal changes in marine parameters by comparing early limited-sensor data with later multi-sensor cruises.

Strengths

• Data collected using standardized lowered CTD rosette systems during dedicated research vessel stations.
• Profiles designed to provide clean down-cast data for analysis, with calibration samples taken on the up-cast.

Limitations

• Critical metadata such as row count, file size, license, author, and last update date are missing from all sources.
• The exact column schema is unknown, and sensor configuration varied between cruises, affecting data format consistency.
• The dataset represents a single cruise from 1986, limiting temporal scope for longitudinal studies.

Provenance

Source

CEFAS (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science) or DFR research cruises.

Collection Method

Collected from a stationary vessel using a lowered CTD rosette system, with water samples taken for calibration.

Time Range

June 1986

Geography

European Shelf and Iberian Abyssal Plain.