RV CLIONE 03/1988 Low Resolution Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) Data

CEFAS research cruises collected this oceanographic data using a lowered CTD rosette system while vessels were stationary. The data broadly covers the European Shelf and the Iberian Abyssal Plain, with profiles from the surface to near the sea bed. Early years collected a limited set of parameters like pressure, temperature, and conductivity, while later cruises added sensors for fluorometry and light measurement.

Use Cases

• Calculate water salinity based on conductivity data using UNESCO 1978/1983 formulations.
• Analyze vertical ocean profiles for temperature and pressure (depth) structure.
• Calibrate sensor readings using water samples collected from bottles fired at specific depths.
• Study spatial patterns of marine properties across the European Shelf and Iberian Abyssal Plain.

Strengths

• Data collection followed a standardized profile method, with down cast data intended to provide a clean profile.
• Description specifies the use of the UNESCO 1978 and 1983 formulations for calculating salinity from conductivity.

Limitations

• Row count, file formats, and column-level documentation are unknown, requiring manual inspection after download.
• The exact sensor configuration and data format varied between cruises, which may complicate analysis.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Collected using a lowered CTD rosette system on station, with water bottle samples for calibration.

Time Range

Includes data from March 1988.

Freshness

Data is from a 1988 research cruise; historical dataset.

Geography

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