Notes on CTD/O2 Data Acquisition and Processing Using Sea-Bird Hardware and Software (as available).

Abstract

The predecessors of today’s CTD (conductivity-temperature-depth) instruments were introduced in the 1940s, with modern accurate instruments developed in the 1970s (Emery and Thomson, 1998). Accuracy standards for these instruments remain at the WOCE targets: 0.002°C (ITS-90) for temperature, 0.002 g kg-1 (TEOS-10) for salinity, and 3 dbar for pressure. Here we discuss some aspects of acquisition, processing, and calibration of Sea-Bird Electronics Inc. (hereafter SBE) 9plus CTD data. Oceanic measurement and calibration techniques are subject to improvement. This outline should be viewed only as a supplement to the existing literature, manufacturer documentation, and manufacturer instructions.