COARE EQ Water Sample Data

Water sample data are written according to the *.sea files specified by the WOCE Hydrographic Programme Office, for submission of these data to the WHP.

Formats for these files are detailed in the WHP Office Report WHPO 90-1, available from Dr. Terrence Joyce, Director, WHP Office, Dept. of Physical Oceanography, WHOI, Woods Hole, MA 02543.

The files are self-explanatory, one column is written for each measured parameter. Missing data are filled with -9. A 5-line heading labels each column.

Temperatures are reported in ITS-90 units. Since temperature sensor calibrations were done in IPTS-68 units, and the UNESCO routines require IPTS-68 temperature, all intermediate processing was done in IPTS-68. As a final step, temperature and potential temperature were converted to ITS-90 using t_90 = 0.99976 t_68.

Variables having 7 asterisks on the 4th heading line have a quality flag associated with them. These 1-digit quality flags are concate- nated to form quality word which is listed as the last variable in each row. The values each digit can assume and their meanings are listed below:

Bottle quality flag definitions:

 Byte Value  Definition
     1       Not assigned.
     2       No problems noted.
     3       Leaking.
     4       Did not trip correctly.
    5-8      Not assigned.
     9       Samples not drawn from this bottle.
 
     
Water sample quality flag definitions:    

 Byte Value  Definition
     1       Sample for this measurement was drawn from water bottle
             but analysis not received.
     2       Acceptable measurement.
     3       Questionable measurement.
     4       Bad measurement.
     5       Not reported.
     6       Mean of replicate measurements.
     7       Manual chromatographic peak integration.
     8       Irregular digital chromatographic peak integration.
     9       Sample not drawn for this measurement from this bottle.

Last modified: December 22, 1997