A Southern Indian Ocean database of hydrographic profiles obtained with instrumented elephant seals

The instrumentation of southern elephant seals with satellite-linked CTD tags has offered unique temporal and spatial coverage of the Southern Indian Ocean since 2004. This includes extensive data from the Antarctic continental slope and shelf regions during the winter months, which is outside the c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific Data
Main Authors: Roquet, Fabien, Williams, Guy, Hindell, Mark A., Harcourt, Rob, McMahon, Clive, Guinet, Christophe, Charrassin, Jean-Benoit, Reverdin, Gilles, Boehme, Lars, Lovell, Philip, Fedak, Mike
Other Authors: NERC, University of St Andrews. School of Biology, University of St Andrews. Sea Mammal Research Unit, University of St Andrews. Marine Alliance for Science & Technology Scotland, University of St Andrews. Scottish Oceans Institute
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2015
Subjects:
QH301 Biology
GC Oceanography
SDG 13 - Climate Action
SDG 14 - Life Below Water
QH301
GC
Antarctic
Indian
Kerguelen
Kerguelen Islands
Prydz Bay
The Antarctic
Antarc*
Elephant Seals
Southern Elephant Seals
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10023/7457
https://doi.org/10.1038/sdata.2014.28
http://www.meop.net
http://www.smru.st-and.ac.uk/Instrumentation/CTD/
Description
Summary:The instrumentation of southern elephant seals with satellite-linked CTD tags has offered unique temporal and spatial coverage of the Southern Indian Ocean since 2004. This includes extensive data from the Antarctic continental slope and shelf regions during the winter months, which is outside the conventional areas of Argo autonomous floats and ship-based studies. This landmark dataset of around 75,000 temperature and salinity profiles from 20–140 °E, concentrated on the sector between the Kerguelen Islands and Prydz Bay, continues to grow through the coordinated efforts of French and Australian marine research teams. The seal data are quality controlled and calibrated using delayed-mode techniques involving comparisons with other existing profiles as well as cross-comparisons similar to established protocols within the Argo community, with a resulting accuracy of ±0.03 °C in temperature and ±0.05 in salinity or better. The data offer invaluable new insights into the water masses, oceanographic processes and provides a vital tool for oceanographers seeking to advance our understanding of this key component of the global ocean climate. Publisher PDF Peer reviewed

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