Data Information Sheet Explanation
Data Information sheets list the data which have been received by this Center. The entries are described below. Countries are arranged in the sequence shown in the numerical list of countries. Data from each country are arranged in the sequence of catalogue numbers. The 200-series data sheets follow the last 100-series data sheet in the catalogue.
Country/Catalogue Number — The series number and two digit number of the contributing country, as well as the identifying number for the data information, are given in this column. Details of this system are found in the Catalogue of Data Numbering System. The numbers corresponding to the country and institution portions of the Catalogue Number are found in the section that lists countries and contributing institutions.
Country/Ship or Fixed Station — The country name, as well as the names of ships are printed in capital letters; lightvessels are identified by (LV) following the name. All other names not so designated are those of shore stations and other types of fixed platforms, such as lighthouses (LH) or offshore towers; names are reported as they appear with the data.
Start Date/End Date — The dates during which the data were gathered are given in the order of day/month/year. In some instances, depending on the nature of the project, the dates indicate the beginning and ending of a cruise or expedition, while in others the dates indicate the first and last observations. For shore and fixed stations months and years only are usually given.
Region — The region(s) of the World Ocean where observations were gathered. The areas listed are defined in “Limits of Oceans and Seas,” International Hydrographic Bureau, Special Publication No. 23, third edition, Monaco, 1953, with certain modifications as indicated in the IHB Regions section.
Oceanographic Serial Stations : Number of Stations — The number of oceanographic serial stations (also referred to as hydrographic, hydrographical, hydrological and hydrochemical stations) at which serial measurements of temperature, salinity, and other chemical values are made, normally to depths of five meters or greater. Data to depths less than five meters are usually catalogued as Surface Observations.
Physical and Chemical Data — All stations as a minimum have readings of both temperature and salinity, unless otherwise noted. The types of physical and chemical data, available at serial depths as observed values, are listed using the following symbols and abbreviations:
- Oxy - Dissolved oxygen content
- Nutr - Nitrogen, Phosphorous, or Silicon compounds
- Pol - Heavy Metals, Hydrocarbons or other pollutants
BT’s — The type and number of mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) or expendable bathythermograph (XBT) observations are indicated by:
- MB - Analog prints of bathythermographs taken by a mechanical BT
- MTb - Tables or listings of mechanical BT temperature readings at selected depths
- XB - Analog prints of bathythermographs taken by an expendable BT
- XTb - Tables or listings of expendable BT temperature readings at selected depths
- DTb - Table or listings of digital BT temperature readings at selected depths
- STb - Tables or listings of bathythermographs reported at selected levels only, eg. 5m. intervals
- Surf - Surface
- Subs – Subsurface
Biological — The types of marine biological observations made and the number of stations and/or abundance of data are indicated by any of the following categories:
- Phyt - Phytoplankton
- Pleu - Pleuston
- Pigm - Pigments
- Sest - Seston
- PrPr - Primary productivity
- Neus - Neuston
- Zoo - Zooplankton
- Bent - Benthos
- Nek - Nekton
- PeF - Pelagic fishes
- Eggs - Fish eggs and/or larvae
- DeF - Demersal fishes
- Micr - Microbiological data
- FObs - Fishery observations
- Biol - Bioluminescence
- Bore - Borers and foulers
- Poll - Pollution studies
- Cet - Cetacea
- C14 - Carbon
- Plank - Plankton
- Surf - Surface visual observations of birds, fishes mammals, reptiles or discolored water
Meteorological — The presence of meteorological observations taken in conjunction with oceanographic data is indicated. These observations may include wind direction and speed, weather, temperature of the air, dry bulb or wet bulb, atmospheric pressure, clouds, visibility, humidity, dew point, precipitation, solar radiation, or radiosonde observations.
Sea Surface — The types of sea surface observations and measurements taken are listed. In addition to the abbreviations and symbols listed for Physical and Chemical Data, the following are also used:
- T - Temperature of the water sample
- S - Salinity
- Col - Color of the water
- Tra - Transparency of the water
- Wa - Visual data on waves, including sea state
- IWa - Instrumented wave data
- Ice - Data on ice in the sea
- LP - Light penetration
- LPW - Long period wave records
Data Center Reference Number — Data which have been processed at a national, regional, or responsible oceanographic data center, usually have been assigned some type of identifying reference number by that center. The availability of data in automated form is indicated by the initials of the data center followed by that center’s reference number. For example, machine-processed oceanographic station data for Reference Number 310863 of the National Oceanographic Data Center would appear as NODC 310863.
Publication number refers to the number from the WDC for Oceanography "Listing of Data Publications" identifying the published report in which the referenced data appear. The absence of a number in this column indicates that the data were not received in published or processed form.
Remarks — Any additional information included to further describe the data.
Example: The Canadian station at Triple Island is identified as: 206.03 Triple Island .
A shore station is listed under the country in or near whose territory it is located. If observations are carried out and the data contributed by an institution of another country, the observing country’s name and institution are listed after the name of the country of location.
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