Each file available for download includes two tables:

• The Cast table contains metadata. This table includes date, time, latitude, longitude, weather, etc. for each CTD cast ever completed on a CalCOFI cruise. Each row is a unique cast, numbered sequentially/indexed by the “Cst_Cnt” column.

• The Bottle table contains oceanographic data. This table includes oceanographic measurements for each bottle/sampling depth ever completed on a CalCOFI cruise. There are additional data code and precision columns describing the quality of each oceanographic measurement. Each row is a unique bottle/sampling depth, numbered sequentially/indexed by the “Btl_Cnt” column.

  • This table is much larger than the Cast table because each cast can have up to 24 bottles/sampling depths.

  • The Bottle table also has a “Cst_Cnt” column, which can be used as a unifier between the two tables.

See below for a key with descriptions and units of each column/field. 

Sta_Code (Station Codes – found in Cast table)

• “ST” – Standard CalCOFI Station
• “SCO” – SCCOOS nearshore/20m Station
• “NRO” – Not Regularly Occupied Original CalCOFI Station
• “OCO” – Occasionally CalCOFI Occupied
• “IMX” – IMECOCAL Occupied
• “NST” – Non-Standard Station
• “MBR” – MBARI Occupied Station

Data_Type (Data Type – found in Cast table)

• “PR” – Productivity Cast
• “HY” – Hydrographic Cast
• “10” – Ten-meter Cast
• “CT” – Compressed CTD Cast (Low Resolution)
• “MX” – Mixed CTD and Bottle Data

_qual, qua, or q (Quality Code – found in Bottle table; associated with discrete samples; examples: “O_qual”, “Chlqua”, “PO4q”)

•  Blank – Data OK
• “4” – Value zeroed due to value below detection limit
• “6” – Data taken from CTD sensor
• “8” – Technician thinks value is suspect
• “9” – Missing Data

RecInd (Record Indicator – found in Bottle table)

• “3” – Observed Data
• “4” – Educated office guess (ghost)
• “5” – Data from STD or CTD sensor
• “6” – Duplicate Depth
• “7” – Interpolated to a standard depth