FY 1999

COARE Seacat data: Calibrations and quality control procedures

Freitag, H.P., M.E. McCarty, C. Nosse, R. Lukas, M.J. McPhaden, and M.F. Cronin

NOAA Tech. Memo. ERL PMEL-115, NTIS: PB99-146144, NOAA/Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, Seattle, WA, 89 pp (1999)

In intensive set of quality analysis routines was applied to salinity data from twelve mooring sites of the Tropical Ocean-Atmosphere (TAO) Array within the western Pacific warm pool. Primary sources of error identified were 1) biological fouling and abrasive scouring of the conductivity cell, and 2) temperature/conductivity sensor response time mismatch in the presence of high-frequency temperature variability and low flush rate. Quality control methods included application of both pre-deployment and post-recovery calibrations, stability analysis among sensors, and comparison with CTD cast data. Corrections were applied by modeling error bias as linear or higher order polynomials. After correction, salinity data are believed to be accurate to within 0.02 psu in most cases.