During each cruise, a minimum of four hydrocasts were performed to collect a suite of core monthly observations. Additional hydrocasts were performed for specific process studies, in the CARIACO station or in extra stations. We conducted separate shallow and deep casts to obtain better vertical resolution for chemical observations, and for productivity and pigment observations. Water was collected with a SeaBird rosette equipped with 12 (8 liter) teflon-coated Niskin bottles (bottle springs were also teflon-coated) at 20 depths between the surface and 1310 m. The rosette housed the CTD, which collected continuous profiles of temperature and salinity (SBE-19, SBE-25). The CTD also had an SBE-43 oxygen probe, and a Wetlabs ECO fluorometer outfitted for chlorophyll- a estimates. A C-Star transmissometer (660 nm, Wetlabs) was also part of the instrument suite. Beam attenuation measurements were added to the time series on its 11th month, originally using a SeaTech transmissometer. The rosette was controlled with a SeaBird deck unit via conducting cable, but alternatively has been actuated automatically based on pressure recordings via an Autofire Module (SBE AFM) when breaks in cable conductivity have occurred.
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Between November 1995 and September 1996, three separate SBE-19 CTDs were used in repeated casts until a reliable salinity profile was obtained below the oxycline. The SBE-19 model CTDs frequently failed to provide reliable conductivity values below the oxycline in the Cariaco Basin. Starting in September 1996, the SBE-19 CTDs were replaced by an SBE-25 CTD, which provided extremely accurate and reliable data in anoxic waters.
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All CTDs were calibrated at the Sea-Bird factory once per year. The accuracy of the pressure sensor is 3.5 m and has a resolution of 0.7 m. The temperatures accuracy is 0.002\u00b0C with a resolution of 0.0003\u00b0C. The conductivity accuracy is 0.003 mmho/cm with a resolution of 0.0004 mmho/cm.
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Discrete Salinity
\nContinuous salinity profiles were calculated from the CTD measurements. Discrete salinity samples were analyzed using a Guildline Portasal 8410 salinometer standardized with IAPSO Standard Seawater, with a precision of better than \u00b1 0.003 and a resolution of 0.0003 mS/cm at 15\u00b0 C and 35 psu, the accuracy was \u00b10.003 at the same set point temperature as standardization and within -2\u00b0 and +4\u00b0C of ambient. These salinity values were used to check, and when necessary calibrate, the CTD salinity profiles.
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Discrete Oxygen
\nContinuous dissolved oxygen (O2) profiles were obtained with a SBE-43 Dissolved Oxygen Sensor coupled to the SBE-25 CTD. Discrete oxygen samples were collected in duplicate using glass-stoppered bottles and analyzed by Winkler titration (Strickland and Parsons, 1972, as modified by Aminot, 1983). The analytical precision for discrete oxygen analysis was \u00b13 mM, based on analysis of duplicate samples, with a detection limit of 5 mM. The in-situ oxygen values were used to check, and when necessary calibrate, the CTD oxygen profiles.
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A detailed log for each cruise with sensors used, calibrations, malfunctions, etc. can be found in the supplemental document Cruise Data Acquisition Report.
The CARIACO Ocean Time-Series Program (formerly known as CArbon Retention In A Colored Ocean) started on November 1995 (CAR-001) and ended on January 2017 (CAR-232). Monthly cruises were conducted to the CARIACO station (10.50\u00b0 N, 64.67\u00b0 W) onboard the R/V Hermano Gin\u00e9s of the Fundaci\u00f3n La Salle de Ciencias Naturales de Venezuela. During each cruise, a minimum of four hydrocasts were performed to collect a suite of core monthly observations. We conducted separate shallow and deep casts to obtain a better vertical resolution of in-situ Niskin-bottles samples for chemical observations, and for productivity, phytoplankton, and pigment observations.\u00a0
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This collection of data comprises all the Individual CTD profiles from the Cariaco basin taken as part of the CARIACO Ocean Time-Series Program from November 1995 to January 2017.\u00a0 These include all the CTD profiles taken during the monthly hydrographic cruises at the CARIACO station (10.50\u00b0 N, 64.67\u00b0 W), as well as other CTD profiles from extra legs of the monthly cruises, and few spatial cruises collected in and around the Cariaco basin. CTD\u2019s Salinity and Oxygen where calibrated with in-situ measurements (see Methods & Sampling). This dataset is complimentary to the monthly \u201cCTD Composite Profiles\u201d (https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/3092), and many fields are very similar to that data-base. The difference with that dataset, is that here we present all the CTD casts for each cruise, the CTD profiles are single (not composite), and the salinity and oxygen profiles were calibrated with in-situ measurements, but fluorescence was no calibrated.
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More information can be found in the following web pages:
\nWeb page of the CARIACO Ocean Time-Series Program: http://imars.usf.edu/cariaco
\nGeneral description: http://www.imars.usf.edu/cariaco
\nMethodology: http://imars.usf.edu/publications/methods-cariaco
\nList of publications: http://imars.usf.edu/view/biblio/803738/year