Progress in the measurement of salinity and oxygen at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Abstract

Improvements in the measurement of salinity and dissolved oxygen during the past few years at WHOI have increased the accuracy of salinity observations to +/- 0.001 ppt and that of dissolved oxygen determinations to +/- 0.04 ml/1. These improvements are attributable to the careful maintenance of the sample collection and analysis equipment, the construction of portable, sea going laboratories in which the temperature is constant to +/- 1 degree C and the skillful use of an Autosal 8400-A salinometer and a Metrohm Titroprocessor by well trained technicians. An automated data logging system eliminates transcription errors and facilitates the timely calibration of the CTD sensors.