CTD data collected during MOCNESS tows to Georges Bank and the Gulf of Maine on the US GLOBEC Georges Bank Broadscale and Process cruises, 1994-1999

Abstract

The MOCNESS is based on the Tucker Trawl principle (Tucker, 1951). The particular MOCNESS system from which these CTD data came is one of three net systems. The MOCNESS-10 (with 10 m2 nets)carries 6 nets of 3.0-mm circular mesh which are opened and closed sequentially by commands through conducting cable from the surface (Wiebe et al., 1976). In all three systems, "the underwater unit sends a data frame, comprised of temperature, depth, conductivity, net-frame angle, flow count, time, number of open net, and net opening/closing, to the deck unit in a compressed hexadecimal format every 2 seconds and from the deck unit to a microcomputer every 4 seconds... Temperature (to approximately 0.01 deg C) and conductivity are measured with SEABIRD sensors. Normally, a modified T.S.K.-flowmeter is used... Both the temperature and conductivity sensors and the flowmeter are mounted on top of the frame so that they face horizontally when the frame is at a towing angle of 45deg... Calculations of salinity (to approximately 0.01 o/oo S), potential temperature (theta), potential density (sigma), the oblique and vertical velocities of the net, and the approximate volume filtered by each net are made after each string of data has been received by the computer." (Wiebe et al., 1985) In addition, data were collected from four other sensors attached to the frame: the Transmissometer, the Fluorometer, the Downwelling light sensor, and the Oxygen sensor. A SeaBird underwater pump was also included in the sensor suite.

For a complete list of measurements, refer to the full dataset description in the supplemental file 'Dataset_description.pdf'. The most current version of this dataset is available at: https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/2302