SECTION 3 NEW WAYS OF OBSERVING THE OCEAN
186
were identified as ‘orphan’ data sets requiring
special treatment by data managers in WOCE.
Data streams have the following properties that
need to be managed, monitored, or developed:
¥ source of data;
¥ means of communicating data;
¥ one or more points of assembly;
¥ quality control gating with feedback to users;
¥ data distribution mechanism;
¥ scientific analysis with feedback to quality
control;
¥ value-added products;
¥ some level of integration into single data resource;
¥ delivery of data to the permanent archive.
Functional elements to manage, monitor or
develop these properties are peculiar to each
specific data stream identified in WOCE.
3.5.2.2 Elements of the WOCE Data System
Thirteen data streams are identified in WOCE.
Together they constitute the WOCE Data Resource.
It is through these streams that qualified data and
information are made available to the final WOCE
Data Archive.
There are 22 functional units in the WOCE Data
System spread across seven countries (USA, Canada,
UK, France, Germany, Australia and Japan, see
Fig. 3.5.3). These are listed in Table 3.5.1.
Metadata and programme information
The WOCE Data Information Unit (DIU) is a comprehensive guide to the WOCE programme and is
the gateway to the online WOCE Data Resource.
The DIU actively involved science expertise as well
as database and information specialists to maintain
this dynamic resource. Links to WOCE data and
products, information about data status, and
details of all the field activities can be found at the
DIU. The centre supports a bibliography of WOCE
publications and links to online abstracts relating
to WOCE.
Hydrographic programme
The WOCE hydrographic data are the core measurements of the observational programme (see
King et al., Chapter 3.1), and include CTD (Conductivity-Temperature-Depth) and discrete bottle
data from one-time and repeated sections and time
series stations. Almost all WOCE Hydrographic
Programme (WHP) data sets include discrete
salinity sampling, and those from the one-time
survey also include oxygen, nutrients and a range of
other tracers including chlorofluorocarbons, tritium,
helium-3, carbon-14 and several CO 2 parameters.
Processing of CTD data requires application of
laboratory calibration data, vertical averaging of
bottle/CTD data at scales not exceeding 1–2 dbar,
correction using bottle values collected simultaneously, and quality control. The data originators
carry out these functions, with subsequent assembly and quality control by the WHP Office
(WHPO).
Almost all WHP data sets include water samples for shipboard or later analysis. Each data type
carries its own set of processing and quality control procedures to ensure the highest, consistent
quality across all WOCE data. These procedures
are carried out by the originators and overseen by
the DAC based on standards and WOCE procedures specific to each measured quantity.
A Special Analysis Centre for WOCE hydrography was established in Germany early in the
programme. Its mission is to provide a globally
consistent data set and to generate gridded
products for use in models and other analyses.
Specialized visualization programs and historical
(pre-WOCE) hydrographic data are also available
from the SAC.
Surface drifters
The drifter data are assembled by the NOAA
AOML Drifting Buoy Data Assembly Center and
by the Marine Environmental Data Service in
Canada. The WOCE drifter data set includes positions, times, temperature and drogue depth and
status; for some records atmospheric pressure and
salinity are also measured. The DAC generates
regularly updated position and velocity products
(interpolated to 6-h intervals) from the raw data.
Upper ocean thermal
Upper ocean thermal data are collected mainly
from XBTs deployed by voluntary observing ships
in two modes; broad-scale with relatively low
along-track resolution, and a limited number of
sections with high along-track resolution. The
temperature profiles are sent to data centres in real
time (with relatively low vertical resolution) and
most are eventually replaced by their high-verticalresolution equivalents in delayed mode. The profiles are managed such that users have access to
186
were identified as ‘orphan’ data sets requiring
special treatment by data managers in WOCE.
Data streams have the following properties that
need to be managed, monitored, or developed:
¥ source of data;
¥ means of communicating data;
¥ one or more points of assembly;
¥ quality control gating with feedback to users;
¥ data distribution mechanism;
¥ scientific analysis with feedback to quality
control;
¥ value-added products;
¥ some level of integration into single data resource;
¥ delivery of data to the permanent archive.
Functional elements to manage, monitor or
develop these properties are peculiar to each
specific data stream identified in WOCE.
3.5.2.2 Elements of the WOCE Data System
Thirteen data streams are identified in WOCE.
Together they constitute the WOCE Data Resource.
It is through these streams that qualified data and
information are made available to the final WOCE
Data Archive.
There are 22 functional units in the WOCE Data
System spread across seven countries (USA, Canada,
UK, France, Germany, Australia and Japan, see
Fig. 3.5.3). These are listed in Table 3.5.1.
Metadata and programme information
The WOCE Data Information Unit (DIU) is a comprehensive guide to the WOCE programme and is
the gateway to the online WOCE Data Resource.
The DIU actively involved science expertise as well
as database and information specialists to maintain
this dynamic resource. Links to WOCE data and
products, information about data status, and
details of all the field activities can be found at the
DIU. The centre supports a bibliography of WOCE
publications and links to online abstracts relating
to WOCE.
Hydrographic programme
The WOCE hydrographic data are the core measurements of the observational programme (see
King et al., Chapter 3.1), and include CTD (Conductivity-Temperature-Depth) and discrete bottle
data from one-time and repeated sections and time
series stations. Almost all WOCE Hydrographic
Programme (WHP) data sets include discrete
salinity sampling, and those from the one-time
survey also include oxygen, nutrients and a range of
other tracers including chlorofluorocarbons, tritium,
helium-3, carbon-14 and several CO 2 parameters.
Processing of CTD data requires application of
laboratory calibration data, vertical averaging of
bottle/CTD data at scales not exceeding 1–2 dbar,
correction using bottle values collected simultaneously, and quality control. The data originators
carry out these functions, with subsequent assembly and quality control by the WHP Office
(WHPO).
Almost all WHP data sets include water samples for shipboard or later analysis. Each data type
carries its own set of processing and quality control procedures to ensure the highest, consistent
quality across all WOCE data. These procedures
are carried out by the originators and overseen by
the DAC based on standards and WOCE procedures specific to each measured quantity.
A Special Analysis Centre for WOCE hydrography was established in Germany early in the
programme. Its mission is to provide a globally
consistent data set and to generate gridded
products for use in models and other analyses.
Specialized visualization programs and historical
(pre-WOCE) hydrographic data are also available
from the SAC.
Surface drifters
The drifter data are assembled by the NOAA
AOML Drifting Buoy Data Assembly Center and
by the Marine Environmental Data Service in
Canada. The WOCE drifter data set includes positions, times, temperature and drogue depth and
status; for some records atmospheric pressure and
salinity are also measured. The DAC generates
regularly updated position and velocity products
(interpolated to 6-h intervals) from the raw data.
Upper ocean thermal
Upper ocean thermal data are collected mainly
from XBTs deployed by voluntary observing ships
in two modes; broad-scale with relatively low
along-track resolution, and a limited number of
sections with high along-track resolution. The
temperature profiles are sent to data centres in real
time (with relatively low vertical resolution) and
most are eventually replaced by their high-verticalresolution equivalents in delayed mode. The profiles are managed such that users have access to