Dataset: CTD data from the CMarZ 10m2 MOCNESS tows and ancillary tow info from NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown and R/V Polarstern in the Sargasso Sea and Southeast North Atlantic Ocean from 2006-2007 (CMarZ_2004-2010 project)

The MOCNESS is based on the Tucker Trawl principle (Tucker, 1951). The MOCNESS-10 (with 10 m² nets) used for the Census of Marine Life has 1 net of 3.0-mm circular mesh and 4 nets of .333-mm 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 three other sensors attached to the frame: the Transmissometer, the Fluorometer, and the Downwelling light sensor. A SeaBird underwater pump was also included in the sensor suite.

It should be noted that whenever the data are of questionable value, "50.000" was written in the particular data field. As of July 22, 2008, these values are converted to the value of "nd" (meaning "no data"). If the value of temperature is set to "nd", then the values of theta, sigma and sal are also set to "nd". If the value of salinity is set to "nd", then the value of sigma is set to "nd". Also, as of July 22, 2008, values of latitude and longitude of -999.00000 are also changed to "nd".

Unless otherwise indicated, these data have not been post-processed.

Note: Some variables have been eliminated from the display because they were not collected on this cruise or are redundant but are nevertheless available. These variables include: oxycurrent, oxytemp, tempco, echo, time_gmt_alt; lite; station_std; brief_desc; tvel.

Any questions should be directed to the CMarZ Data Management Office.

References

Fofonoff and Millard, 1983, UNESCO technical papers in Marine Sciences, #44

 

Tucker, G.H., 1951. Relation of fishes and other organisms to the scattering of underwater sound. Journal of Marine Research, 10: 215-238.

Wiebe, P.H., K.H. Burt, S. H. Boyd, A.W. Morton, 1976. The multiple opening/closing net and environmental sensing system for sampling zooplankton. Journal of Marine Research, 34(3): 313-326

Wiebe, P.H., A.W. Morton, A.M. Bradley, R.H. Backus, J.E. Craddock, V. Barber, T.J. Cowles and G.R. Flierl, 1985. New developments in the MOCNESS, an apparatus for sampling zooplankton and micronekton. Marine Biology, 87: 313-323.