RV CIRLANA 08/1989: Low-Resolution CTD Data from the European Shelf

Data from August 1989 collected by CEFAS (or DFR) research cruises using a lowered CTD rosette system. The dataset covers the European Shelf and the Iberian Abyssal Plain, containing profiles of pressure, temperature, and conductivity from which salinity can be derived. The data were collected from research vessels on station, with profiles taken from the surface to near the sea bed.

Use Cases

• Calculate historical salinity values based on conductivity, temperature, and pressure data using UNESCO formulations.
• Analyze vertical water column profiles from the surface to the sea bed for the European Shelf region.
• Study the evolution of oceanographic sensor configurations by comparing this early, limited-parameter cruise with later, more instrumented ones.
• Calibrate modern sensor readings against historical bottle sample data collected on the up cast.

Strengths

• Data collected using a standardized lowered CTD rosette system, which is a recognized method for stationary vessel profiles.
• Explicitly states the core parameters measured: Pressure (Depth), Temperature, and Conductivity.
• Describes a clear data collection methodology involving clean down casts and calibration samples from bottles fired on the up cast.

Limitations

• Row count, column definitions, and file formats are unknown, which limits suitability assessment.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality and completeness require manual inspection after download.

Provenance

Source

Government Digital Service, from CEFAS (or DFR) research cruises.

Collection Method

Collected using a lowered CTD rosette system from research vessels on station.

Time Range

August 1989.

Freshness

Last updated is unknown.

Geography

Broadly covers the European Shelf with some data from the Iberian Abyssal Plain.