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Science & Technology Behind the Measurements

The list below contains links to Sea-Bird Technical Papers and useful references on instrument characteristics and methods.

Application Notes / FAQs / Oceanography Glossary / Training:

Application Notes contain valuable information about how to use our instruments and software, including information on coefficient calculations, calibration procedures, instrument adjustments, configuration assistance, and instrument care and maintenance.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
FAQs covering general instrument questions, general oceanographic questions, recommended practices, service, ordering, software, data analysis and processing, and manufacturing.

Glossary
Glossary of oceanographic terminology.

Sea-Bird Training Materials
Links to training modules; Module 0 (starting on page 15) includes a very basic introduction to CTDs.

 

Newsletters:

Newsletters contain press releases and Sea-Bird's scientific advances in oceanographic instruments and measurement.

 

Sea-Bird Technical Papers (not published):

Complete text of papers written by Sea-Bird to explain the engineering and science behind a specific Sea-Bird instrument or measurement methodology:

Accuracy and Stability of Argo SBE 41 and SBE 41CP CTD Conductivity and Temperature Sensors
    Carol Janzen, Nordeen Larson, Rick Beed, Kristi Anson.
    Sea-Bird Electronics, Inc.
   
Preliminary summary of SBE 41 and 41CP sensor performance on Argo profiling floats, December 2008

Extend Your Dissolved Oxygen Measurements in High Fouling Environments
    Carol Janzen, David Murphy.
    Sea-Bird Electronics, Inc.
   
From Poster developed for Estuarine Research Federation 2007 Conference, Providence, RI, USA, November 4 - 8, 2007

Conductivity Sensors for Moored and Autonomous Operation 
Sea-Bird Electronics, Inc. (Revised 02/03)

Measurement Accuracy at Triple Point of Water and Gallium Melt Point Supports a Total Measurement Uncertainty of 0.0006 degrees C 
Sea-Bird Electronics, Inc. (09/01)

Real-Time Oceanography with Inductive Moorings
Sea-Bird Electronics, Inc. (Revised 09/10)

Determination of Sound Velocity from CTD Data (Application Note 6)
Sea-Bird Electronics, Inc. (Revised 08/04)

TC Duct Fundamentals (Application Note 38)
Sea-Bird Electronics, Inc. (Revised 12/92)

Strain Gauge Pressure Sensor Error Sources:
Application Note 27Druck
Sea-Bird Electronics, Inc. (Revised 07/05) -- current production instruments with Druck pressure sensors
Application Note 27
Sea-Bird Electronics, Inc. (Revised 08/01) -- older instruments with Paine pressure sensors

 

Published Technical Papers:

Complete text:

On the Use of a Secondary Standard to Improve Autosal Calibration
   
Genevieve Haviland Howell, Richard Guenther, Carol Denise Janzen, Nordeen Larson (Sea-Bird Electronics)
   
From Poster Presentation, AGU Ocean Sciences, Portland, Oregon, USA, 22 - 26 February 2010.

Considerations for CTD Spatial and Temporal Resolution on Moving Platforms
   
Carol Janzen (Sea-Bird Electronics)
   
Ocean News & Technology, Volume 15, Issue 6, September 2009.

Measurement of Salinity and Temperature Profiles through the Sea Surface on Argo Floats
   
David Murphy1, Stephen Riser2, Nordeen Larson1, and Carol Janzen1,
    1 Sea-Bird Electronics, Inc, 2 University of Washington,
   
From Poster Presentation, 4th Aquarius/SAC-D Science Workshop, Puerto Madryn, Argentina, 3 - 5 December 2008.

WQM: New Instrumentation for Coastal Monitoring
   
Carol Janzen (Sea-Bird Electronics), Nordeen Larson (Sea-Bird Electronics), and Casey Moore (WET Labs)
    Sea Technology, Volume 49, Number 2, February 2008

Long-Term Oxygen Measurements
   
Carol Janzen, Nordeen Larson, and David Murphy
    Sea-Bird Electronics, Inc.
   
International Ocean Systems, Volume 12, Number 2, March/April 2008

STS: An Instrument for Extending Argo Temperature and Salinity Measurements through the Sea Surface
   
Nordeen Larson, Carol Janzen, and David Murphy,
    Sea-Bird Electronics, Inc.
   
From Poster Presentation, 2008 Ocean Sciences Meeting, Orlando Florida, 2 - 7 March 2008.

Improvements to the SBE 43 Oxygen Calibration Algorithm
   
David Murphy, Nordeen Larson, and Brad Edwards,
    Sea-Bird Electronics, Inc.
   
From Poster Presentation, 2008 Ocean Sciences Meeting, Orlando Florida, 2 - 7 March 2008.

Assessing the Calibration Stability of Oxygen Sensor Data on Argo profiling floats using routine WOCE monitoring data from HOT
   
Carol Janzen and Nordeen Larson,
    Sea-Bird Electronics, Inc.
   
From Poster Presentation, 2008 Ocean Sciences Meeting, Orlando Florida, 2 - 7 March 2008.

WQM: A New Integrated Water Quality Monitoring Package for Long-Term In-Situ Observation of Physical and Biogeochemical Parameters
    Cristina M. Orrico 1, Casey Moore 1, Dave Romanko 1, Alex Derr 1, Andrew H. Barnard 1, Carol Janzen 2,
Norge Larson 2, David Murphy 2, Rob Johnson 2, Jesse Bauman 2
    1 WET Labs, Inc.     2 Sea-Bird Electronics, Inc.
   
Proceedings of Oceans 2007 MTS/IEEE Vancouver, B.C., Canada, October 1 - 4, 2007

Getting More Mileage out of Dissolved Oxygen Sensors in Long-Term Moored Applications
    Carol Janzen, David Murphy,
Nordeen Larson,
    Sea-Bird Electronics, Inc.
   
Proceedings of Oceans 2007 MTS/IEEE Vancouver, B.C., Canada, October 1 - 4, 2007

Dissolved oxygen extrema in the Arctic ocean halocline from the North Pole to the Lincoln Sea
    Kelly Kenison Falkner, Michael Steele, Rebecca A. Woogate, James H. Swift, Knut Aagaard, James Morison
,
    Deep Sea Research, I 52 (2005) 1138 - 1154.

A Year of Oxygen Measurements from Argo Floats
   
Nordeen Larson,
    Sea-Bird Electronics, Inc.
   
From Poster Presentation, 1st ARGO Science Workshop, Tokyo, Japan, 12 - 14 November 2003.

Development of an Optimized Dissolved Oxygen Sensor for Oceanographic Profiling
   
Jim Carlson,
    Sea-Bird Electronics, Inc.
   
International Ocean Systems, Volume 6, Number 5, September/October 2002

Advances in Drifting Buoy Technology
    Sean C. Kennan, Pearn P. Niiler, and Andrew Sybrandy,
    Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, CA. USA
    Int. WOCE Newsletter, #30, March 1998, 7-10.

In-situ Temperature Calibration: A Remark on Instruments and Methods
    G. Budeus and W. Schneider,
    Alfred-Wegener-Institut für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Bremerhaven, Germany
    Int. WOCE Newsletter, #30, March 1998, 16-18.

Comparative Thermodynamic Efficiency Measurements Using PT-100 Sensors and Seabird 38
    E. Bokko, Norconsult AS and H. Hullaas, SWECO Groner AS
    For International Group for Hydroelectric Efficiency Measurement (IGHEM) 2004 Conference

Thermodynamic Method: Comparison of Sea-Bird and Pt 100 Temperature Probes
    E. Paquet,
    E.D.F. Division Technique Générale, France
    For International Group for Hydroelectric Efficiency Measurement (IGHEM)
    1998 Conference, in conjunction with HydroVision '98, Reno, Nevada USA,

    July 28-31 1998, p 217-227.

Temperature Measurements in Flowing Water: Viscous Heating of Sensor Tips
   
Nordeen Larson and Arthur Pederson,
   
Sea-Bird Electronics, Inc.
   
1st IGHEM Meeting, Montreal, Canada, June 1996

The Correction for Thermal-Lag Effects in Sea-Bird CTD Data
    Morison, J., R. Andersen, Larson, N., D'Asaro, E., and Boyd, T.,
    Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology (JAOT),
    V11(4), August 1994, 1151-1164.

Dynamic Response of Sea-Bird CTD Pressure Sensors to Temperature
    Chiswell, S.M.,
    Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology (JAOT),
    V8(5), October 1991, p 659-668.

Thermal Inertia of Conductivity Cells: Theory
    Lueck, R.G. (1990),
   
Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology (JAOT),
    V7(5), October 1990, p 741-755.

Thermal Inertia of Conductivity Cells: Observations with a Sea-Bird Cell
    Lueck, R.G. and J.J. Picklo,
    Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology (JAOT),
    V7(5), October 1990, p 756-768.

Moored Salinity Time Series Measurements at 0°, 140° W
    McPhaden, M.J., H. Paul Freitag and Andrew J. Shepherd,
    Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology (JAOT),
    V7(4), August 1990, p 568-575.

Dynamic Response Calibration of Sea-Bird Temperature and Conductivity Probes
    Gregg, M.C. and W.C. Hess,
    Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology (JAOT),
    V2(3), September 1985, 304-313.

References (complete text not available on-line through our website):

Smethie, W.M. Jr., et al., "A lightweight vertical rosette for deployment in ice-covered waters". Deep-Sea Research I (2011), doi:10.1016/j.dsr.2010.12.007. (abstract)

Edwards, B., Janzen, C., Murphy, D., Larson, N., "Calibration, Response and Hysteresis in Deep-Sea Dissolved Oxygen Measurements", Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, Volume 27, Issue 5, May 2010. (abstract) .

Irish, J.D., Ward, L.G., and Boduch, S., "Correcting and Validating Moored Oxygen Time-Series Observations in the Gulf of Maine", MTS 1-410-884-5330, IEEE Catalog Number CFP08OCE-CDR, ISBN 978-1-4244-2620-1, Library of Congress 2008904879.

Riser, S.C and Johnson, K.S., "Net production of oxygen in the subtropical ocean", Nature, January 2008, p. 323 - 325. (abstract)

"Supercalibration on the High Seas" (1997), NMi News, Nederlands Meetinstituut, V11(2), 3.

Larson, N.G. (1996) "Using a Primary Temperature Standard at Sea: A Case Study on WOCE P-15S", International Marine Technicians Workshop (INMARTECH '96), Southampton England, Final Report.

Baker, E.T., Feely, R.A., Mottl, M.J., Sansone, F. T., Wheat, C.G., Resing, J.A., Lupton, J.E., "Hydrothermal plumes along the East Pacific Rise, 8° 40′ to 11° 50′ N: Plume distribution and relationship to the apparent magmatic budget", Earth and Planetary Science Letters 128 (1994) 1-17.

Larson, N.G. (1993) "Calibration of Oceanographic CTD Instruments: Methods and Traceability", Journal of Advanced Marine Technology Conference V7, 3-13.

Huyer, A. and P.M. Kosro, R. O'Malley, J. Fleishbein (1993) "Seasoar and CTD Observations during a COARE Surveys Cruise, W9211C, 22 Jan to 22 Feb 93, OSU Data Report.

Pedersen, A.M. and M.C. Gregg (1979) "Development of a small in-situ conductivity instrument", IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering V4(3), 69-75. (summary)

 

Oceanographic Literature:

References to technical literature about oceanographic instrumentation and methods.

Gregg, M.C. and T.B. Meagher (1980) "The Dynamic Response of Glass Rod Thermistors", Journal of Geophysical Research, V85(c5), 2779-2786. (abstract)

Pike, J.M. and F.L. Beiboer (1993) "A Comparison Between Algorithms for the Speed of Sound in Seawater", The Hydrographic Society, Special Publication No. 34. (link to information)

Poisson, A., M.H. Gadhoumi, and S. Morcos (1991) "Salinity and density of seawater: Tables for high salinities (42 to 50)", Unesco technical papers in marine science 62. (full article)

Wearn, R.B. and N.G. Larson (1982) "Measurements of the sensitivities and drift of Digiquartz pressure sensors", Deep-Sea Research, V29 (1A), 111-134. (abstract)

 

Note: Many Unesco marine science publications are available through Unesco's website. Go to http://unesdoc.unesco.org/ulis/ioc/.

  1. In the Series title box, select UNESCO technical papers in marine science.
  2. Select Widen the search to all UNESCO documents/publications.
  3. Click the Search button.

 

Non-Technical Literature:

References to non-technical literature.

GO_SHIP.ORG
   Interesting website with information on data acquisition methods

Hydrocast Carousel
   Discover Magazine
   April 20, 2010 issue

A brief overview of a CTD system
   YouTube video on the R/V Wecoma
   December 29, 2009

A brief discussion of CTD systems
   Blog from the James Cook

Robot buoys are taking the ocean's pulse
   Sandi Doughton, Seattle Times science reporter
   April 2, 2008.

Company Spotlight: Sea-Bird Electronics, Inc.
   Ocean News & Technology
   Volume 14, Issue 2, March 2008.

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Last modified: 16-Feb-2011

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