| Title | Processed underway Thermosalinograph (TSG) observations from Algoa Voyage 293, August 2023 |
|---|---|
| Project | Integrated Ecosystem Programme: Southern Benguela (IEP: SB) |
| Authors |
Anders, Darrel Jacobs, Leon van den Berg, Marcel Lamont, Tarron |
| Publisher | Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (2025) |
| Contributors |
Contact Person: van den Berg, Marcel |
| Abstract | Here we present the 6-second resolution processed Thermosalinograph (TSG) data collected, between 15 August and 22 August 2023, during voyage 293 on the RS Algoa. A SeaBird SBE45 Thermosalinograph (TSG) is used to opportunistically collect underway near-surface temperature and conductivity measurements during research and monitoring cruises. Water is continuously pumped to the TSG from an intake located in the hull of the vessel, and the observations are continuously interfaced with navigational information. A temperature sensor close to the intake provides temperature measurements of the incoming water (T1). The temperature of the water inside the conductivity cell (T2) is used to accurately compute salinity (S) from the conductivity measurements (C). |
| Methods | The SeaBird SBE45 Thermosalinograph (TSG) is used on the RS Algoa for the collection of underway near-surface temperature and conductivity measurements. The underway seawater is obtained from a depth of 5m below the surface and pumped through the TSG. Data is collected using the most recent SeaBird (SBE) SeaSave software and processed using the most recent SBE Dataprocessing software. The software was set to record data at 6 second intervals for the duration of the cruise, between 15 August and 22 August 2023. Data was collected in the southern part of the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem (BCLME) region on the west coast of South Africa. Unreliable TSG measurements can result from a variety of problems encountered during the cruises, including insufficient water flow, extreme air bubbling during severly adverse weather conditions, debris trapped in the system, or a variety of electronic failures. Detailed visual inspection of the ship trajectory and TSG measurements, as well as comparisons with other concurrent and historical near-surface measurements, and expert knowledge of local conditions, were used to identify and remove all unreliable data. |
| Data | |
| Temporal extent | 15 Aug 2023 – 22 Aug 2023 |
| Geographic extent |
Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem (BCLME); shelf region on the west coast of South Africa
North: -29.0 |
| Vertical extent |
Max: -5.0 m Min: -5.0 m |
| Keywords | conductivity , EOV: Physics > Sea surface salinity , EOV: Physics > Sea surface temperature , near-surface , salinity , SBE45 Thermosalinograph (TSG) , SOUTH ATLANTIC OCEAN , SST , temperature , THERMOSALINOGRAPH |
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