Coriolis custom ftp directory to manage floats new features

Thierry CARVAL <Thierry.CarvalSPAMFILTER@ifremer.fr> -
Wednesday 19 October 2011

A custom ftp directory is available for a series of floats managed by Coriolis DAC.

These floats have some features that cannot be correctly reported in the existing data format.

Here are the 6 new features managed in these files.

1. Profiles with different sampling schemes

During a cycle, vertical profiles with different sampling schemes can now be reported.

Example : Apex float 6900848 (version 061609) performs a Near Surface Temperature Monitoring (NST).

There are 3 separate profiles for each cycle; the variable VERTICAL_SAMPLING_SCHEME records the 3 values :

  • "Argo CTD sampling" : P,T,S observations from 2000 dbar to 25 dbar
  • "Non pump near surface PT" : P, T from 20 dbar to surface
  • "Pump near surface PTS" : P, T, S from 20 dbar to 5 dbar

2. Metadata format version 2.3

In these files, more configuration parameters are distributed; they are managed with the 2 variables :

CONFIGURATION_PARAMETER_NAME, CONFIGURATION_PARAMETER_VALUE

Example :

3. Technical data format version 2.3

In these files, technical parameters are managed with the 2 variables :

TECHNICAL_PARAMETER_NAME, TECHNICAL_PARAMETER_VALUE

4. Trajectory files format version 2.3

The new variable CYCLE_STAGE is available, for a better description of the locations.

5. A series of 16 additionnal physical parameters

Parameter name : BACKSCATTERING

Parameter name : BBSIG

Parameter name : TSIG

Parameter name : FSIG

Parameter name : CDOM

Parameter name : CHLT

Parameter name : DOXY_STD

Parameter name : IRRADIANCE_W1

Parameter name : PSAL_STD

Parameter name : SCATTERING

Parameter name : TEMP_STD

Parameter name : TUR2

Parameter name : TUR2_STD

Parameter name : TUR4

NetCDF CF compatibility

Addition a global attribute section

// global attributes:
:data_type = "Argo vertical profile" ;
:format_version = "2.3" ;
:user_manual_version = "2.3" ;
:Conventions = “Argo 2.3,CF-1.4" ;

Addition of a long name to all variables

char DATA_TYPE(STRING16) ;
DATA_TYPE:long_name = "Data type" ;

Addition of a standard name and X, Y, Z, T axes attributes to physical parameters

JULD:long_name = "Julian day (UTC) of the station relative to REFERENCE_DATE_TIME" ;
JULD:standard_name = "time" ;
JULD:units = "days since 1950-01-01 00:00:00 UTC" ;
JULD:conventions = "Relative julian days with decimal part (as parts of day)" ;
JULD:_FillValue = 999999. ;
JULD:axis = "T" ;