CTD profiles collected by CEFAS research vessels on the European Shelf and Iberian Abyssal Plain. Data includes pressure, temperature, and conductivity, with later profiles incorporating fluorometers and light sensors. The Government Digital Service provides this archive.
Use Cases
- Calculate salinity profiles based on conductivity data using UNESCO formulations.
- Analyze vertical structure of water properties from surface-to-bed profiles.
- Study temporal changes in marine parameters across the European Shelf.
- Calibrate sensor readings using bottle sample data collected on up casts.
- Investigate relationships between physical parameters and biological indicators like fluorescence.
Strengths
- Data collection follows a standardized lowered CTD rosette system.
- Profiles are designed to provide clean down cast data for analysis.
- The archive covers a broad geographic area including the European Shelf.
Limitations
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
- The exact sensor configuration varies between cruises, affecting data format consistency.
Provenance
- Source
- CEFAS (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science) research cruises.
- Collection Method
- Data collected using a lowered CTD rosette system while the vessel was stationary.
- Geography
- European Shelf and Iberian Abyssal Plain.