| Title | Processed underway Thermosalinograph (TSG) observations from the South Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation Basin-wide Array (SAMBA) Monitoring Line cruise on the Algoa Voyage 253, October 2018 |
|---|---|
| Project | South Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation Basin-wide Array (SAMBA) |
| Authors |
Darrell Anders Franklin Frantz Leon Jacobs Marcel van den Berg Tarron Lamont |
| Publisher | Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (2023) |
| Contributors |
Contact Person: Leon Jacobs |
| Abstract | Here we present the 6-second resolution processed Thermosalinograph (TSG) data collected between 01 October and 16 October 2018 during the South Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation Basin-wide Array (SAMBA) Monitoring Line cruise on the RS Algoa Voyage 253. A SeaBird SBE45 TSG is used to opportunistically collect underway near-surface temperature and conductivity measurements during research and monitoring cruises. Water is continuously pumped to the TSG from an intake located in the hull of the vessel, and the observations are continuously interfaced with navigational information. A temperature sensor close to the intake provides temperature measurements of the incoming water (T1). The temperature of the water inside the conductivity cell (T2) is used to accurately compute salinity (S) from the conductivity measurements (C). The cruise operated from Slangkop, off Cape Town, westwards to 15° E, in the South Atlantic Ocean along the SAMBA transect. The objectives of the cruise were to recover an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) mooring (M4) along the Integrated Ecosystem Programme (IEP)’s Scarborough Monitoring line to collect current data on the Benguela Jet Current; recover three tall moorings on the SAMBA transect (M8; M9 & M10), incorporating ADCP’s and Sea-Bird Microcats; complete 20 Conductivity, Temperature, Depth (CTD) full depth casts (using the containerised winch) along the SAMBA transect; undertake Chlorophyll and Oxygen sampling at CTD stations and underway along SAMBA transect; collect underway Thermosalinograph (TSG); Surface Photosynthetically Active Radiation (SPAR) and Ship-mounted Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (S-ADCP) data and provide training to newly employed Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) personnel and interns. |
| Methods | A SeaBird SBE45 Thermosalinograph (TSG) is used on the RS Algoa for the collection of underway near-surface temperature and conductivity measurements. The underway seawater is obtained from a depth of 5m below the surface and pumped through the TSG. Data is collected using the most recent SeaBird (SBE) SeaSave software and processed using the most recent SBE data processing software. The software was set to record data at 6 second intervals for the duration of the cruise, between 01 October and 16 October 2018. Data was collected in the southern part of the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem (BCLME) region on the west coast of South Africa. Unreliable TSG measurements can result from a variety of problems encountered during the cruises, including insufficient water flow, extreme air bubbling during severely adverse weather conditions, debris trapped in the system, or a variety of electronic failures. Detailed visual inspection of the ship trajectory and TSG measurements, as well as comparisons with other concurrent and historical near-surface measurements, and expert knowledge of local conditions, were used to identify and remove all unreliable data. |
| Data | |
| Temporal extent | 01 Oct 2018 – 16 Oct 2018 |
| Geographic extent |
Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem (BLMCE)
North: -33.0 |
| Vertical extent |
Max: -5.0 m Min: -5.0 m |
| Keywords | Algoa, Algoa 253, SOUTH ATLANTIC OCEAN, THERMOSALINOGRAPH, TSG |
| Related resources |
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