RV CIRLANA 08/1992: Low-Resolution CTD Profiles from the European Shelf

CEFAS research cruises collected this Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) data from the European Shelf and Iberian Abyssal Plain. Data were gathered using a lowered CTD rosette system on stationary vessels, with profiles taken from the surface to near the seabed. The dataset includes core parameters like pressure, temperature, and conductivity, with salinity derivable using UNESCO formulations.

Use Cases

• Calculate water salinity and density profiles based on conductivity, temperature, and pressure data.
• Analyze vertical ocean structure and water column stratification based on depth profiles.
• Calibrate modern sensor readings using historical bottle sample data mentioned in the description.
• Study temporal changes in shelf sea properties by comparing with newer datasets.

Strengths

• Data collection follows a standardized oceanographic method using a lowered CTD rosette system.
• Core parameters allow for the calculation of fundamental oceanographic variables like salinity.
• Profile data is designed to be clean from the surface to near the seabed on the down cast.

Limitations

• Row count and file size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Collected using a lowered CTD rosette system on stationary research vessels, with water samples taken for calibration.

Time Range

Includes data from August 1992.

Freshness

Data is from a specific cruise in August 1992; historical dataset.

Geography

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