CTD Cast Files

Zipped folders of CTD data by cruise (1990 - present)

Overview

In addition to CalCOFI’s Bottle Database, which contains measurements derived from collected seawater samples, CalCOFI offers CTD sensor data, available by cruise. These data present water column profiles in higher resolution (1 meter instead of ~10 to 100-meter resolution).

These oceanographic data are collected using a CTD-Rosette. In the center of the ‘rosette’ of Niskin bottles, there is an instrument called a CTD (“Conductivity-Temperature-Depth”) that is equipped with sensors to measure various parameters. Available parameters include temperature, conductivity/salinity, dissolved oxygen, fluorescence/chlorophyll-a, nitrate, and many more.

CTD data are available from 1990, when CalCOFI began using a CTD-Rosette, to the present. CalCOFI uses an SBE 911plus CTD surrounded by a rosette of 24 10-liter Niskin bottles. See CTD / Bottle Sampling for more details.

The CTD Cast Files table (below) provides raw and processed & corrected CTD sensor data available for download

CTD Profile from 2107SR (Cast 12)

CTD Data Descriptions

Raw CTD Data

Final 1m-Binned

Preliminary 1m-Binned

Test Cast

Prodo Cast

  • Raw CTD Data: Data files (.xmlcon, .hex, .bl, .nav, .prn, .mrk, .hdr) directly from SBE Software (Sea-Bird Scientific) with no processing or corrections applied.
  • Final 1m-Binned: CTD data that have passed through the CalCOFI quality control process. After standard Seasoft-processing (Sea-Bird Scientific’s data-processing suite) tuned for our SBE 911plus CTD, the .asc files are processed by SIO-CalCOFI in-house software (BtlVsCTD). Averaged (4-sec or 1 meter bin-averaged) CTD sensor data are matched with corresponding bottle data, then cruise-corrected and station-corrected. Zipped file includes: metadata and .asc, .hdr, .btl, and upcast & downcast .csvs (“u” and “d”; by station and concatenated).
    • Cruise-corrected CTD data: CTD sensor data that are corrected using regression coefficients derived from 4-sec average sensor data vs bottle data comparisons for the entire cruise, meaning all casts with bottle samples (n=~1400; fliers omitted; column labels ‘_CruiseCorr’).
    • Station-corrected CTD data: CTD sensor data that are corrected using regression coefficients generated dynamically for each cast, 1m bin-averaged sensor data vs bottle data (n=~20; fliers omitted; column labels ‘_StaCorr’).
      • Since sensor behavior may vary from station to station, station-corrected CTD sensor data for salinity, oxygen, estimated nitrate, and estimated chlorophyll-a are considered the best, particularly for estimated nitrate.
  • Preliminary 1m-Binned: CTD sensor data that have gone through SBE Data Processing and BtlVsCTD corrections applied, but using preliminary bottle data. After bottle data have been QAQC’ed, CTD sensor data are reprocessed to produce the Final 1m-Binned data.
  • Test Cast/Prodo Cast: The Seabird 911plus CTD was first tested in Mar 1990 (9003JD) but still under development. CTD data from Mar 1990 – 1991 were occasional system & feasibility tests (“test casts“). As confidence in data quality improved, the CTD-Rosette began being used for daily primary productivity sample collection casts (“prodo casts“) in 1992 (6 depths from one station per day).
  • The first complete CalCOFI cruise using a CTD-Rosette on all stations was in Aug 1993 (9308NH).
  • “FinalQC” files include additional quality-control code columns – latest format is 82-columns. These additional columns were added Nov 2015 but older cruises are being reprocessed so look for “finalQC” for the 82-column updated files. Final CTD data values should not change during the conversion from 65 to 82 columns. But data codes may be added to bad or missing sensor data (data code ‘9’) and questionable sensor data (data code ‘8’) in the corresponding “Q” column.
  • The Windows-version of Sea-bird’s SBE Data Processing Suite will not work on CTD data collected from 1990 to mid-1998. Those data must be processed by the DOS version of Seasoft, which can be successfully run in DOSBox on Windows 7 & 10.
  • Some older cruises may not have final data available since they are being reprocessed using the current data-processing methodology for data-format continuity. All Raw CTD Data data files are available, however, processed data (preliminary or final bottle-corrected) will be posted when they are completed.

Concatenated downcast .csv (filename: 20-1902RL_CTDBTL_001-029D.csv)

CTD Cast Files

Legend:

Raw CTD Data

Final 1m-Binned

Preliminary 1m-Binned

Test Cast

Prodo Cast

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

2024

2401RL

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

2404SH

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

2408SR


Data processing in progress

2023

2301RL

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

2304SH

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

2307SR

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

2311SR

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

2022

2204SH

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

2208BH

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

2211SR

Prodo Cast
Preliminary 1m - Binned

2021

2101RL

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

2105SH

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

2107SR

Prodo Cast
Preliminary 1m - Binned

2111SR

Prodo Cast
Preliminary 1m - Binned

2020

2001RL

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

2007SR

Raw CTD Data
Final 1m-Binned

2010SR

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

2019

Raw CTD Data
Final 1m-Binned

1904RL

Raw CTD Data
Final 1m-Binned

Raw CTD Data
Final 1m-Binned
Raw CTD Data
Final 1m-Binned

2018

Raw CTD Data
Final 1m-Binned
Raw CTD Data
Final 1m-Binned

1806SR

Raw CTD Data
Final 1m-Binned
Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

2017

Raw CTD Data
Final 1m-Binned
Raw CTD Data
Final 1m-Binned

Raw CTD Data
Final 1m-Binned
Raw CTD Data
Final 1m-Binned

2016

Raw CTD Data
Final 1m-Binned
Raw CTD Data
Final 1m-Binned

Raw CTD Data
Final 1m-Binned
Raw CTD Data
Final 1m-Binned

2015

Preliminary 1m - Binned
Raw CTD Data
Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned
Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

2014

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned
Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned
Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

2013

1301SH

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

1304SH

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

1307NH

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

1311NH

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

2012

1202NH

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

1203SH

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

1207OS

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

1210NH

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

2011

1101NH

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

1104SH

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

1108NH

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

1110NH

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

2010

1001NH

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

1004MF

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

1008NH

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

1011NH

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

2009

0901NH

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

0903JD

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

0907M2

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

0911NH

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

2008

0801JD

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

0804JD

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

0808NH

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

0810NH

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

2007

0701JD

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

0704JD

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

0707NH

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

0711NH

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

2006

0602JD

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

0604JD

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

0607NH

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

0610RR

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

2005

0501JD

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

0504NH

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

0507NH

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

0511NH

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

2004

0401JD

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

0404NH

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

0407JD

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

0411RR

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

2003

0302JD

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

0304RR

Raw CTD Data

0307NH

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

0310NH

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

2002

0201JD

Raw CTD Data

0204JD

Raw CTD Data

0207NH

Raw CTD Data

0211NH

Raw CTD Data

2001

0101JD

Raw CTD Data

0104JD

Raw CTD Data

0107NH

Raw CTD Data

0110NH

Raw CTD Data

2000

0001NH

Raw CTD Data

0004JD

Raw CTD Data

0007NH

Raw CTD Data

0010NH

Raw CTD Data

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1999

9901RR

Raw CTD Data

9904JD

Raw CTD Data

9908NH

Raw CTD Data

9910NH

Raw CTD Data

1998

9802JD

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

9803SP

Raw CTD Data

9804JD

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

9805SP

Raw CTD Data

9807NH

Raw CTD Data
Preliminary 1m - Binned

9808SP

Raw CTD Data

9809NH

Raw CTD Data

9810SP

Raw CTD Data

9811SP

Raw CTD Data

9812SP

Raw CTD Data

1997

9702JD

Raw CTD Data

9704NH

Raw CTD Data

9707JD

Raw CTD Data

9709NH

Raw CTD Data

9712SP

Raw CTD Data

1996

9602JD

Raw CTD Data

9604JD

Raw CTD Data

9608NH

Raw CTD Data

9610RR

Raw CTD Data

1995

9501JD

Raw CTD Data

9504NH

Raw CTD Data

9507JD

Raw CTD Data

9510NH

Raw CTD Data

1994

9401JD

Raw CTD Data

9403JD

Raw CTD Data

9408NH

Raw CTD Data

9410NH

Raw CTD Data

1993

9301JD

9304JD

9308NH

Raw CTD Data

9310NH

Raw CTD Data

1992

9202JD

9204JD

9207NH

9210NH

1991

9101JD

9103JD

9108JD

9110NH

1990

9003JD

9011NH

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec