I. Data Set Descriptors A. Title: Daniela Di Iorio. 2016. Continuous salinity, temperature and depth measurements from moored hydrographic data loggers deployed at GCE9_Hydro (Altamaha River near Rockdedundy Island, Georgia) from 01-Jan-2015 through 31-Dec-2015. Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER Data Catalog (data set PHY-GCEM-1607g; http://gce-lter.marsci.uga.edu/public/app/dataset_details.asp?accession=PHY-GCEM-1607g) B. Accession Number: PHY-GCEM-1607g C. Description 1. Originator(s): Name: Daniela Di Iorio Address: Dept. of Marine Sciences University of Georgia Athens, Georgia 30602-3636 Country: USA Email: daniela@uga.edu 2. Abstract: Conductivity, temperature and pressure were measured continuously at Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER sampling location GCE9_Hydro (Altamaha River near Rockdedundy Island, Georgia) from 01-Jan-2015 through 31-Dec-2015. Observations were logged at 30 minute intervals by moored Sea-Bird Electronics MicroCAT 37-SM data loggers and downloaded approximately semi-monthly. Salinity, depth and sigma-t (density anomaly) were calculated from the measured parameters using standard UNESCO algorithms. This data set was collected as part of the GCE-LTER Project continuous salinity, temperature and water level monitoring program. 3. Study Type: Monitoring 4. Study Themes: Physical Oceanography 5. LTER Core Areas: Inorganic Fluxes 6. Georeferences: geographic coordinates as data columns 7. Submission Date: Jul 22, 2016 D. Keywords: conductivity, daily, density, depth, GCE, GCE9, Georgia, Georgia Coastal Ecosystems, Hydrographic Moorings, hydrography, Inorganic Fluxes, inorganic nutrients, LTER, monitoring, mooring, pressure, salinity, Sapelo Island, sonde, temperature, USA, water column, water quality II. Research Origin Descriptors A. Overall Project Description 1. Project Title: Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER Project III 2. Principal Investigators: Name: Merryl Alber Address: Dept. of Marine Sciences University of Georgia Athens, Georgia 30602-3636 Country: USA Email: malber@uga.edu 3. Funding Period: Nov 01, 2012 to Nov 01, 2018 4. Objectives: The research proposed for GCE-III is designed to address how variations in salinity and inundation, driven by climate change and anthropogenic factors, affect biotic and ecosystem responses at different spatial and temporal scales, and to predict the consequences of these changes for habitat provisioning and carbon (C) sequestration across the coastal landscape. 5. Abstract: The Georgia Coastal Ecosystems (GCE) LTER is located along three adjacent sounds on the Atlantic coast and includes both intertidal marshes and estuaries. Long-term drivers of climate change, sea level rise and human alterations of the landscape will cause transitions in dominant habitat types (state changes) within the GCE domain by changing the amounts and patterns of water delivery across the landscape. These changes in water delivery can be conceptualized as presses and pulses in river inflow, local runoff, groundwater input, and tidal inundation, which will in turn manifest themselves as changes in salinity and inundation patterns in the domain. The research proposed for GCE-III is designed to address how variations in salinity and inundation, driven by climate change and anthropogenic factors, affect biotic and ecosystem responses at different spatial and temporal scales, and to predict the consequences of these changes for habitat provisioning and carbon (C) sequestration across the coastal landscape. The goals are to: 1) Track long-term changes in climate and human actions in the watershed and adjacent uplands, and evaluate the effects of these drivers on domain boundary conditions. 2) Describe temporal and spatial variability in physical, chemical, geological and biological, and to evaluate how they are affected by variations in river inflow and other boundary conditions. 3) Characterize the responses of three dominant habitats in the domain to pulses and presses in salinity and inundation. 4) Describe patterns of habitat provisioning and C sequestration and export in the GCE domain, and to evaluate how these might be affected by changes in salinity and inundation. These efforts will be synthesized into a synoptic understanding of both biotic and ecosystem responses to variations in salinity and inundation driven by climate change and human activities, which will be used to assess thresholds between habitats and the potential for state changes in the domain. 6. Funding Source: NSF OCE 1237140 B. Sub-project Description 1. Site Description a. Geographic Location: GCE-AL -- Altamaha River, Georgia, USA GCE9_Hydro -- Altamaha River hydrographic datalogger deployment near Rockdedundy Island Coordinates: GCE-AL -- NW: 081 34 56.32 W, 31 24 05.05 N NE: 081 14 16.57 W, 31 24 05.05 N SE: 081 14 16.57 W, 31 17 45.72 N SW: 081 34 56.32 W, 31 17 45.72 N GCE9_Hydro -- 81 19 19.1 W, 31 19 12.4 N b. Physiographic Region: GCE-AL -- Estuary and tidal marsh GCE9_Hydro -- Estuary and tidal marsh c. Landform Components: GCE-AL -- Intertidal marsh bordering sounds, tidal channels and creeks GCE9_Hydro -- Intertidal marsh bordering sounds, tidal channels and creeks d. Hydrographic Characteristics: GCE-AL -- Site encompasses the Altamaha River estuary and nearby tidal creeks, and is subject to 2-3.4m semi-diurnal tides. High freshwater input from the Altamaha River, one of the largest rivers in the Southeastern United States. GCE9_Hydro -- Site encompasses the Altamaha River estuary and nearby tidal creeks, and is subject to 2-3.4m semi-diurnal tides. High freshwater input from the Altamaha River, one of the largest rivers in the Southeastern United States. e. Topographic Attributes: GCE-AL -- Flat, with elevations ranging from 0-3.4m above mean low tide GCE9_Hydro -- Flat, with elevations ranging from 0-3.4m above mean low tide f. Geology, Lithology and Soils: GCE-AL -- unspecified GCE9_Hydro -- unspecified g. Vegetation Communities: GCE-AL -- unspecified GCE9_Hydro -- unspecified h. History of Land Use and Disturbance: none recorded i. Climate: Climate summary for Sapelo Island, Georgia, based on NWS data from 1980-2010: Daily-aggregated Values: Mean (sample standard deviation) mean air temperature: 20.09°C (7.28°C) minimum air temperature: 15.02°C (7.96°C) maximum air temperature: 24.82°C (6.98°C) total precipitation: 3.26mm (10.3mm) Yearly-aggregated Daily Values: Mean (sample standard deviation) total precipitation (1980-2010): 1124mm (266mm) 2. Experimental or Sampling Design a. Design Characteristics: Conductivity, temperature and pressure were continuously monitored using an autonomous data-logging sensor package (sonde) that was moored to a piling and submerged 1-1.5m below mean low water. b. Permanent Plots: none c. Data Collection Duration and Frequency: The MicroCAT was programmed to autonomously measure and log conductivity, temperature and pressure at a sampling rate of 30 minutes (based on its internal chronometer). Upon retrieval the data was downloaded from the instrument via RS-232 serial communications and processed using custom Matlab(r) procedures to calculate depth (i.e. from pressure and latitude), salinity and sigma-t (i.e. from conductivity and temperature), and date and time components from sample time stamps. Beginning of Observations: Jan 01, 2015 End of Observations: Dec 31, 2015 3. Research Methods a. Field and Laboratory Methods: Method 1: Deployment -- The MicroCAT was mounted inside a protective PVC pipe enclosure and attached to a wooden piling (~12 inch diameter) that was driven firmly into the substrate. The enclosure was constructed from a 10-foot length of 6-inch (internal diameter) PVC pipe that was perforated all over by drilling 1.5-inch holes (at approximately 4-inch spacing); this permits proper water circulation within the enclosure. The bottom of the PVC pipe was submerged about 5 feet below the water surface at low tide and bolted (vertically) to the piling. The MicroCAT was deployed by lowering it into the enclosure on a 0.375-inch stainless steel cable, and bolting the cable to the piling, so that the bottom of the data logger was ~3 inches above the bottom of the PVC pipe. A weighted surveyor's tape was then used to measure the distance from the substrate to the pressure sensor on the MicroCAT for calculation of total water column depth from pressure readings. The mooring was inspected every 1-3 weeks, and any visible fouling of the enclosure or MicroCAT was removed with a brush or scaper. Method 2: Retrieval and Calibration -- At the end of each measurement period (approximately 2 months), the MicroCAT was unshackled from the cable and returned to the laboratory. The stored data was uploaded to a computer using a RS-232 serial cable and Sea-Bird Electronics SEATERM software. The MicroCAT was then cleaned to remove encrusting material and calibrated with a reference instrument at 4 to 5 salinity levels, generally ranging from 30 to 5 PSU. Method 3: Data Processing -- Data were processed after each retrieval using custom programs in the GCE Data Toolbox for MATLAB (parse_37sm and imp_gcesonde). Depth was calculated from recorded pressure and latitude values, and salinity and sigma-t were calculated from recorded conductivity and temperature values using standard UNESCO algorithms (reference: Unesco. 1983. Algorithms for computation of fundamental properties of seawater, 1983. Unesco Technical Papers in Marine Science No. 44, 53 pp.). Data were then plotted and visually inspected for evidence of biofouling of the conductivity sensor (i.e. prolonged periods of damped tidal oscillation in conductivity signal with no corresponding changes in temperature signal and no wind or rainfall events recorded at nearby monitoring stations, or periods of damped oscillation immediately followed by normal oscillation after instrument maintenance or replacement). Conductivity values recorded during periods of suspected biofouling were flagged as I (invalid) if visible fouling was noted in maintenance logs, and Q (questionable) if no visible fouling was noted. Method 4: Daily Aggregation -- The finalized 30-minute resolution data set was filtered to remove any remaining invalid values (i.e. assigned qualifier flags of 'I' = invalid value or 'X' = excise row), then padded with empty rows to produce a monotonic time series data set with even time steps. The data records were then aggregated (grouped) by Year, Month, Day, Site, Longitude and Latitude, and relevant summary statistics were calculated for each measured variable in each group and added as data columns. Quality control rules were defined for each calculated column to flag statistics based on days with more than 35% missing values as invalid, and more than 10% missing values or 35% flagged values as questionable. Columns listing the number and percentage of missing and flagged values in the original data set for each day were also added as data columns for reference by quality control rules. Following aggregation, summary statistics flagged as invalid were removed from the daily-aggregated data set and converted to missing (NaN). b. Protocols: Method 1: none Method 2: none Method 3: none Method 4: none c. Instrumentation: Method 1: SBE MicroCAT 37-SM (S/N 3342) Manufacturer: Sea-Bird Electronics (Model: 37-SM MicroCAT) Last Calibration: Aug 11, 2011 Parameter: Conductivity (Accuracy: 0.0003 S/m, Readability: 0.00001 S/m, Range: 0 to 7 S/m) Protocol: Prior to each timed measurement the conductivity cell is opened and water is pumped for 0.5 sec, then conductivity is measured using an ultra-precision Wien-Bridge oscillator with frequency counted by a high-stability reference crystal (<2 ppm/year drift rate). The cell is closed between measurements and tributyl tin antifoulant is released into the tubing. Parameter: Pressure (water) (Accuracy: 0.2m, Readability: 0.0004m, Range: 0 to 20m) Protocol: Pressure is measured using a micro-machined silicon diaphragm with embedded strain elements, and temperature compensation is performed by the SBE MicroCAT onboard cpu. Parameter: Temperature (water) (Accuracy: 0.002°C, Readability: 0.0001°C, Range: -5 to 35°C) Protocol: Temperature is measured by applying an AC excitation to a hermetically-sealed VISHAY reference resistor and an ultra-stable aged thermistor (drift rate typically less than 0.002°C/year). SBE MicroCAT 37-SM (S/N 1791) Manufacturer: Sea-Bird Electronics (Model: 37-SM MicroCAT) Last Calibration: Jan 27, 2011 Parameter: Conductivity (Accuracy: 0.0003 S/m, Readability: 0.00001 S/m, Range: 0 to 7 S/m) Protocol: Water passively circulates through an open internal-field conductivity cell equipped with an external tributyl tin antifoulant dispenser, and conductivity is measured using an ultra-precision Wien-Bridge oscillator with frequency counted by a high-stability reference crystal (<2 ppm/year drift rate). Parameter: Pressure (water) (Accuracy: 0.2m, Readability: 0.0004m, Range: 0 to 20m) Protocol: Pressure is measured using a micro-machined silicon diaphragm with embedded strain elements, and temperature compensation is performed by the SBE MicroCAT onboard cpu. Parameter: Temperature (water) (Accuracy: 0.002°C, Readability: 0.0001°C, Range: -5 to 35°C) Protocol: Temperature is measured by applying an AC excitation to a hermetically-sealed VISHAY reference resistor and an ultra-stable aged thermistor (drift rate typically less than 0.002°C/year). SBE MicroCAT 37-SM (S/N 1793) Manufacturer: Sea-Bird Electronics (Model: 37-SM MicroCAT) Last Calibration: Jun 16, 2015 Parameter: Conductivity (Accuracy: 0.0003 S/m, Readability: 0.00001 S/m, Range: 0 to 7 S/m) Protocol: Water passively circulates through an open internal-field conductivity cell equipped with an external tributyl tin antifoulant dispenser, and conductivity is measured using an ultra-precision Wien-Bridge oscillator with frequency counted by a high-stability reference crystal (<2 ppm/year drift rate). Parameter: Pressure (water) (Accuracy: 0.2m, Readability: 0.0004m, Range: 0 to 20m) Protocol: Pressure is measured using a micro-machined silicon diaphragm with embedded strain elements, and temperature compensation is performed by the SBE MicroCAT onboard cpu. Parameter: Temperature (water) (Accuracy: 0.002°C, Readability: 0.0001°C, Range: -5 to 35°C) Protocol: Temperature is measured by applying an AC excitation to a hermetically-sealed VISHAY reference resistor and an ultra-stable aged thermistor (drift rate typically less than 0.002°C/year). SBE MicroCAT 37-SM (S/N 3746) Manufacturer: Sea-Bird Electronics (Model: 37-SM MicroCAT) Last Calibration: Nov 29, 2012 Parameter: Conductivity (Accuracy: 0.0003 S/m, Readability: 0.00001 S/m, Range: 0 to 7 S/m) Protocol: Prior to each timed measurement the conductivity cell is opened and water is pumped for 0.5 sec, then conductivity is measured using an ultra-precision Wien-Bridge oscillator with frequency counted by a high-stability reference crystal (<2 ppm/year drift rate). The cell is closed between measurements and tributyl tin antifoulant is released into the tubing. Parameter: Pressure (water) (Accuracy: 0.2m, Readability: 0.0004m, Range: 0 to 20m) Protocol: Pressure is measured using a micro-machined silicon diaphragm with embedded strain elements, and temperature compensation is performed by the SBE MicroCAT onboard cpu. Parameter: Temperature (water) (Accuracy: 0.002°C, Readability: 0.0001°C, Range: -5 to 35°C) Protocol: Temperature is measured by applying an AC excitation to a hermetically-sealed VISHAY reference resistor and an ultra-stable aged thermistor (drift rate typically less than 0.002°C/year). Method 2: none Method 3: none Method 4: none d. Taxonomy and Systematics: Method 1: not applicable Method 2: Method 3: Method 4: e. Speclies List: f. Permit History: Method 1: none Method 2: none Method 3: none Method 4: none 4. Project Personnel a. Personnel: 1: Daniela Di Iorio 2: Jacob Shalack 3: Wade M. Sheldon, Jr. 4: Adam Sapp 5: Caroline M. Reddy 6: Timothy G. Montgomery b. Affiliations: 1: University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 2: University of Georgia Marine Institute, Sapelo Island, Georgia 3: University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 4: University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 5: University of Georgia, Sapelo Island, Georgia 6: University of Georgia, Sapelo Island, Georgia III. Data Set Status and Accessibility A. Status 1. Latest Update: 23-Sep-2016 2. Latest Archive Date: 23-Sep-2016 3. Latest Metadata Update: 23-Sep-2016 4. Data Verification Status: New submission B. Accessibility 1. Storage Location and Medium: Stored at GCE-LTER Data Management Office Dept. of Marine Sciences Univ. of Georgia Athens, GA 30602-3636 USA on media: electronic data download (WWW) or compact disk 2. Contact Person: Name: Wade M. Sheldon, Jr. Address: Dept. of Marine Sciences University of Georgia Athens, Georgia 30602-3636 Country: USA Email: sheldon@uga.edu 3. Copyright Restrictions: not copyrighted 4. Restrictions: All publications based on this data set must cite the contributor and Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER project, and two copies of the manuscript must be submitted to the GCE-LTER Information Management Office. a. Release Date: Affiliates: Jul 22, 2016, Public: Jul 22, 2016 b. Citation: Data provided by the Georgia Coastal Ecosystems Long Term Ecological Research Project, supported by funds from NSF OCE 1237140 (data set PHY-GCEM-1607g) c. Disclaimer: The user assumes all responsibility for errors in judgement based on interpretation of data and analyses presented in this data set. 5. Costs: free electronic data download via WWW, distribution on CD may be subject to nominal processing and handling fee IV. Data Structural Descriptors A. Data Set File 1. File Name: PHY-GCEM-1607g_1_0.CSV 2. Size: 17520 records 3. File Format: ASCII text (comma-separated value format) 3a. Delimiters: single comma 4. Header Information: 5 lines of ASCII text 5. Alphanumeric Attributes: none 6. Quality Control Flag Codes: Q = questionable value, I = invalid value (out of range), S = spike/noise, X = excise row flag 7. Authentication Procedures: not specified 8. Calculations: Depth(m) = sw_dpth(Pressure(dbar),Latitude(deg)) -- sw_dpth (salt water depth from pressure) Matlab function, Revision: 1.3, Date: 10-Oct-1994 (C)1992 CSIRO, Phil Morgan (morgan@ml.csiro.au) [Salinity(psu),Sigma_t] = salsig2(Depth(m),Temperature(C),Conductivity(mmho/cm)) -- salsig2 (salinity and sigma-t from conductivity, temperature and depth) Matlab function Revision 06-May-1992 by V. Holliday, as modified by Tom Gross and Julie Amft (julie@skio.peachnet.edu) 9. Processing History: Software version: GCE Data Toolbox Version 3.9.6b (27-Aug-2016) Data structure version: GCE Data Structure 1.1 (29-Mar-2001) Original data files processed: 09150342.asc (5571 records) 09150946.asc (7773 records) 09151291.asc (4429 records) 09160393.asc (5083 records) Data processing history: 02-Apr-2015: data uploaded from SBE 37-SM MicroCAT using SEATERM software version 1.59 15-Apr-2015: new GCE Data Structure 1.1 created ('newstruct') 15-Apr-2015: data imported from processed SBE SM-37 sonde data file '09150342.asc' (5571 records) ('imp_gcesonde') 15-Apr-2015: deleted column Second from the structure ('deletecols') 15-Apr-2015: calculated calendar date in MATLAB serial day (base 1/1/0000) format from individual date component columns Year, Month, Day, Hour and Minute, added 'Date' column at position 1 ('add_datecol') 15-Apr-2015: added column 'Instrument' at position 1 ('addcol') 15-Apr-2015: added column 'Latitude' at position 1 ('addcol') 15-Apr-2015: Q/C flagging criteria applied for column(s) Latitude, 'flags' field updated ('dataflag') 15-Apr-2015: added column 'Longitude' at position 1 ('addcol') 15-Apr-2015: Q/C flagging criteria applied for column(s) Longitude, 'flags' field updated ('dataflag') 15-Apr-2015: added column 'Site' at position 1 ('addcol') 15-Apr-2015: matched 5571 out of 5571 geographic coordinates in columns Latitude and Longitude to coordinates for registered locations in the file 'geo_locations.mat' within a distance tolerance of 0.5km (add_locations) 15-Apr-2015: added column 'Station' at position 2 ('addcol') 15-Apr-2015: Q/C flagging criteria applied for column(s) Station, 'flags' field updated ('dataflag') 15-Apr-2015: added geographic metadata based on matching values in column Station to location and station names registered in 'geo_locations.mat' ('add_sitemetadata') 15-Apr-2015: updated 8 metadata fields in the Site sections ('addmeta') 15-Apr-2015: added column 'Calibration' at position 18 ('addcol') 15-Apr-2015: Q/C flagging criteria applied for column(s) Calibration, 'flags' field updated ('dataflag') 15-Apr-2015: updated 13 metadata fields in the Data, Dataset, Status, Study, Supplement sections ('addmeta') 15-Apr-2015: Q/C flagging criteria applied, 'flags' field updated ('dataflag') 15-Apr-2015: edited structure data ('ui_datagrid'): deleted record(s) 5566, 5567, 5568, 5569, 5570 and 5571 15-Apr-2015: Q/C flagging criteria applied, 'flags' field updated ('dataflag') 15-Apr-2015: QA/QC flags assigned by visual inspection (ui_visualqc); flags cleared on 225 records in Conductivity 15-Apr-2015: copied QA/QC flags from column(s) Temperature, Conductivity and Pressure to column(s) Salinity and Sigma_t, merging copied flags with any existing flags, and set QA/QC criteria for destination column(s) to 'manual' ('copyflags') 15-Apr-2015: copied QA/QC flags for column(s) Salinity and Sigma_t to column(s) Temperature, Conductivity and Pressure, overwriting any existing flags, and set QA/QC criteria for destination column(s) to 'manual' ('copyflags') 16-Apr-2015: query 'Year==2015' run, returned 4311 of 5565 data rows ('querydata') 16-Apr-2015: automatically assigned study date metadata descriptors based on the range of date values in date/time columns (add_studydates) 16-Apr-2015: manually edited data set metadata ('ui_editmetadata') 16-Apr-2015: edited data set title in structure and metadata ('ui_editor') 27-Jul-2016: 7720 rows added at the bottom of the data set ('datamerge') 27-Jul-2016: updated 19 metadata fields in the Data, Dataset, Status, Study, Supplement sections ('addmeta') 27-Jul-2016: Q/C flagging criteria applied, 'flags' field updated ('dataflag') 27-Jul-2016: automatically assigned study date metadata descriptors based on the range of date values in date/time columns (add_studydates) 27-Jul-2016: 4423 rows added at the bottom of the data set ('datamerge') 27-Jul-2016: updated 19 metadata fields in the Data, Dataset, Status, Study, Supplement sections ('addmeta') 27-Jul-2016: Q/C flagging criteria applied, 'flags' field updated ('dataflag') 27-Jul-2016: 5044 rows added at the bottom of the data set ('datamerge') 27-Jul-2016: updated 19 metadata fields in the Data, Dataset, Status, Study, Supplement sections ('addmeta') 27-Jul-2016: Q/C flagging criteria applied, 'flags' field updated ('dataflag') 27-Jul-2016: automatically assigned study date metadata descriptors based on the range of date values in date/time columns (add_studydates) 27-Jul-2016: manually edited data set metadata ('ui_editmetadata') 27-Jul-2016: edited data set title in structure and metadata ('ui_editor') 27-Jul-2016: inserted 1 new record with date/time values and NaN/null data values (replicating common values in the non-data columns Site, Station, Longitude, Latitude, Instrument, Calibration and Pump) to fill in date/time interval gaps in the data series ('pad_date_gaps') 27-Jul-2016: sorted by column Date(ascending) ('sortdata') 27-Jul-2016: deleted existing datetime columns Year, Month, Day, Hour and Minute; updated Year, Month, Day, Hour and Minute datetime columns added after column Date ('add_datepartcols') 27-Jul-2016: updated 1 metadata fields in the Data sections ('addmeta') 27-Jul-2016: sorted by column Date(ascending) ('sortdata') 27-Jul-2016: replaced 1 missing value in column Temperature with an estimated value based on 1D interpolation of Temperature as a function of Date using the MATLAB 9 function 'interp1' with the 'pchip' (piecewise cubic Hermite interpolation) method option, excluding data gaps with more than 25 consecutive missing values, and flagging the estimated values as 'E' ('interp_missing') 27-Jul-2016: 1 value in 'Temperature' was updated with a new value ('update_data'): changed record 4312 from NaN to 16.981 27-Jul-2016: Q/C flagging criteria applied for column(s) Temperature, 'flags' field updated ('dataflag') 27-Jul-2016: replaced 1 missing value in column Conductivity with an estimated value based on 1D interpolation of Conductivity as a function of Date using the MATLAB 9 function 'interp1' with the 'pchip' (piecewise cubic Hermite interpolation) method option, excluding data gaps with more than 25 consecutive missing values, and flagging the estimated values as 'E' ('interp_missing') 27-Jul-2016: 1 value in 'Conductivity' was updated with a new value ('update_data'): changed record 4312 from NaN to 1.047 27-Jul-2016: Q/C flagging criteria applied for column(s) Conductivity, 'flags' field updated ('dataflag') 27-Jul-2016: replaced 1 missing value in column Pressure with an estimated value based on 1D interpolation of Pressure as a function of Date using the MATLAB 9 function 'interp1' with the 'pchip' (piecewise cubic Hermite interpolation) method option, excluding data gaps with more than 25 consecutive missing values, and flagging the estimated values as 'E' ('interp_missing') 27-Jul-2016: 1 value in 'Pressure' was updated with a new value ('update_data'): changed record 4312 from NaN to 2.164 27-Jul-2016: Q/C flagging criteria applied for column(s) Pressure, 'flags' field updated ('dataflag') 27-Jul-2016: replaced 1 missing value in column Depth with an estimated value based on 1D interpolation of Depth as a function of Date using the MATLAB 9 function 'interp1' with the 'pchip' (piecewise cubic Hermite interpolation) method option, excluding data gaps with more than 25 consecutive missing values, and flagging the estimated values as 'E' ('interp_missing') 27-Jul-2016: 1 value in 'Depth' was updated with a new value ('update_data'): changed record 4312 from NaN to 2.149 27-Jul-2016: Q/C flagging criteria applied for column(s) Depth, 'flags' field updated ('dataflag') 27-Jul-2016: replaced 1 missing value in column Salinity with an estimated value based on 1D interpolation of Salinity as a function of Date using the MATLAB 9 function 'interp1' with the 'pchip' (piecewise cubic Hermite interpolation) method option, excluding data gaps with more than 25 consecutive missing values, and flagging the estimated values as 'E' ('interp_missing') 27-Jul-2016: 1 value in 'Salinity' was updated with a new value ('update_data'): changed record 4312 from NaN to 7.108 27-Jul-2016: Q/C flagging criteria applied for column(s) Salinity, 'flags' field updated ('dataflag') 27-Jul-2016: replaced 1 missing value in column Sigma_t with an estimated value based on 1D interpolation of Sigma_t as a function of Date using the MATLAB 9 function 'interp1' with the 'pchip' (piecewise cubic Hermite interpolation) method option, excluding data gaps with more than 25 consecutive missing values, and flagging the estimated values as 'E' ('interp_missing') 27-Jul-2016: 1 value in 'Sigma_t' was updated with a new value ('update_data'): changed record 4312 from NaN to 4.211 27-Jul-2016: Q/C flagging criteria applied for column(s) Sigma_t, 'flags' field updated ('dataflag') 27-Jul-2016: manually edited data set metadata ('ui_editmetadata') 27-Jul-2016: Q/C Criteria of column Conductivity changed from 'x<0='I';col_Depth<=0='I';col_Depth<0.15='Q';flag_valuechange(x,0.75,0.75,1,3)='Q';ma nual' to 'x<0='I';col_Depth<=0='I';col_Depth<0.15='Q' ('ui_editor') 27-Jul-2016: Q/C flagging criteria applied for column(s) Conductivity, 'flags' field updated ('dataflag') 27-Jul-2016: QA/QC flags assigned by visual inspection (ui_visualqc); flags set on 621 records in Conductivity 27-Jul-2016: copied QA/QC flags for column(s) Salinity and Sigma_t to column(s) Temperature, Conductivity and Pressure, overwriting any existing flags, and set QA/QC criteria for destination column(s) to 'manual' ('copyflags') 27-Jul-2016: query 'Year==2015' run, returned 17519 of 21499 data rows ('querydata') 27-Jul-2016: automatically assigned study date metadata descriptors based on the range of date values in date/time columns (add_studydates) 27-Jul-2016: manually edited data set metadata ('ui_editmetadata') 27-Jul-2016: edited data set title in structure and metadata ('ui_editor') 27-Jul-2016: documented flagged and missing values in columns Temperature, Pressure, Depth, Salinity and Sigma_t as data set anomalies in the metadata ('add_anomalies') 23-Sep-2016: inserted 1 new record with date/time values and NaN/null data values (replicating common values in the non-data columns Site, Station, Longitude, Latitude, Instrument, Calibration and Pump) to fill in date/time interval gaps in the data series ('pad_date_gaps') 23-Sep-2016: sorted by column Date(ascending) ('sortdata') 23-Sep-2016: deleted existing datetime columns Year, Month, Day, Hour and Minute; updated Year, Month, Day, Hour and Minute datetime columns added after column Date ('add_datepartcols') 23-Sep-2016: updated 1 metadata fields in the Data sections ('addmeta') 23-Sep-2016: sorted by column Date(ascending) ('sortdata') 23-Sep-2016: replaced 1 missing value in column Temperature with an estimated value based on 1D interpolation of Temperature as a function of Date using the MATLAB 9 function 'interp1' with the 'pchip' (piecewise cubic Hermite interpolation) method option, excluding data gaps with more than 8 consecutive missing values, and flagging the estimated values as 'E' ('interp_missing') 23-Sep-2016: 1 value in 'Temperature' was updated with a new value ('update_data'): changed record 7433 from NaN to 27.529 23-Sep-2016: Q/C flagging criteria applied for column(s) Temperature, 'flags' field updated ('dataflag') 23-Sep-2016: replaced 1 missing value in column Conductivity with an estimated value based on 1D interpolation of Conductivity as a function of Date using the MATLAB 9 function 'interp1' with the 'pchip' (piecewise cubic Hermite interpolation) method option, excluding data gaps with more than 8 consecutive missing values, and flagging the estimated values as 'E' ('interp_missing') 23-Sep-2016: 1 value in 'Conductivity' was updated with a new value ('update_data'): changed record 7433 from NaN to 1.418 23-Sep-2016: Q/C flagging criteria applied for column(s) Conductivity, 'flags' field updated ('dataflag') 23-Sep-2016: replaced 1 missing value in column Pressure with an estimated value based on 1D interpolation of Pressure as a function of Date using the MATLAB 9 function 'interp1' with the 'pchip' (piecewise cubic Hermite interpolation) method option, excluding data gaps with more than 8 consecutive missing values, and flagging the estimated values as 'E' ('interp_missing') 23-Sep-2016: 1 value in 'Pressure' was updated with a new value ('update_data'): changed record 7433 from NaN to 1.527 23-Sep-2016: Q/C flagging criteria applied for column(s) Pressure, 'flags' field updated ('dataflag') 23-Sep-2016: replaced 1 missing value in column Depth with an estimated value based on 1D interpolation of Depth as a function of Date using the MATLAB 9 function 'interp1' with the 'pchip' (piecewise cubic Hermite interpolation) method option, excluding data gaps with more than 8 consecutive missing values, and flagging the estimated values as 'E' ('interp_missing') 23-Sep-2016: 1 value in 'Depth' was updated with a new value ('update_data'): changed record 7433 from NaN to 1.517 23-Sep-2016: Q/C flagging criteria applied for column(s) Depth, 'flags' field updated ('dataflag') 23-Sep-2016: replaced 1 missing value in column Salinity with an estimated value based on 1D interpolation of Salinity as a function of Date using the MATLAB 9 function 'interp1' with the 'pchip' (piecewise cubic Hermite interpolation) method option, excluding data gaps with more than 8 consecutive missing values, and flagging the estimated values as 'E' ('interp_missing') 23-Sep-2016: 1 value in 'Salinity' was updated with a new value ('update_data'): changed record 7433 from NaN to 7.771 23-Sep-2016: Q/C flagging criteria applied for column(s) Salinity, 'flags' field updated ('dataflag') 23-Sep-2016: replaced 1 missing value in column Sigma_t with an estimated value based on 1D interpolation of Sigma_t as a function of Date using the MATLAB 9 function 'interp1' with the 'pchip' (piecewise cubic Hermite interpolation) method option, excluding data gaps with more than 8 consecutive missing values, and flagging the estimated values as 'E' ('interp_missing') 23-Sep-2016: 1 value in 'Sigma_t' was updated with a new value ('update_data'): changed record 7433 from NaN to 2.181 23-Sep-2016: Q/C flagging criteria applied for column(s) Sigma_t, 'flags' field updated ('dataflag') 23-Sep-2016: query 'Year=2015' run, returned 17520 of 17520 data rows ('querydata') 23-Sep-2016: copied QA/QC flags from column(s) Conductivity and Temperature to column(s) Salinity and Sigma_t, merging copied flags with any existing flags, and set QA/QC criteria for destination column(s) to 'manual' ('copyflags') 23-Sep-2016: imported all documentation metadata from the template 'GCE_Sonde', retaining existing attribute descriptors for all columns ('meta_template') 23-Sep-2016: updated 40 metadata fields in the Data, Dataset, Project, Site, Status, Study, Supplement sections ('addmeta') 23-Sep-2016: updated title ('newtitle') 23-Sep-2016: added geographic metadata based on matching values in column Station to location and station names registered in 'geo_locations.mat' ('add_sitemetadata') 23-Sep-2016: updated 8 metadata fields in the Site sections ('addmeta') 23-Sep-2016: updated title ('newtitle') 23-Sep-2016: updated 1 metadata fields in the Dataset sections ('addmeta') 23-Sep-2016: imported Dataset, Project, Site, Study, Status, Supplement metadata descriptors from the GCE Metabase ('imp_gcemetadata') 23-Sep-2016: updated 57 metadata fields in the Dataset, Project, Site, Status, Study, Supplement sections ('addmeta') 23-Sep-2016: deleted columns Pump and Calibration from the structure ('deletecols') 23-Sep-2016: converted dates in column(s) Date to format yyyy-mm-dd HH:MM:SS 23-Sep-2016: flags for columns Temperature, Conductivity, Pressure, Depth, Salinity and Sigma_t converted to data columns, flag codes updated in metadata ('flags2cols') 23-Sep-2016: updated 6 metadata fields in the Data sections ('addmeta') 23-Sep-2016: updated 15 metadata fields in the Status, Data sections to reflect attribute metadata ('updatecols') 23-Sep-2016: parsed and formatted metadata ('listmeta') B. Variable Information 1. Variable Name: column 1. Site column 2. Station column 3. Longitude column 4. Latitude column 5. Instrument column 6. Date column 7. Year column 8. Month column 9. Day column 10. Hour column 11. Minute column 12. Temperature column 13. Flag_Temperature column 14. Conductivity column 15. Flag_Conductivity column 16. Pressure column 17. Flag_Pressure column 18. Depth column 19. Flag_Depth column 20. Salinity column 21. Flag_Salinity column 22. Sigma_t column 23. Flag_Sigma_t 2. Variable Definition: column 1. Nearest nominal GCE-LTER sampling site column 2. Station determined by geographic database lookup of coordinates in columns Latitude and Longitude using a distance tolerance of 0.5km from registered station location column 3. Geographic longitude in decimal degrees column 4. Geographic latitude in decimal degrees column 5. Serial number of the SBE 37-SM MicroCAT instrument used for the observations column 6. Fractional MATLAB serial day (based on 1 = January 1, 0000) column 7. Calendar year column 8. Calendar month column 9. Calendar day column 10. Hours - GMT column 11. Minutes column 12. Water temperature column 13. QA/QC flags for Water temperature (flagging criteria, where "x" is Temperature: x<0="Q", x>35="Q", Depth<=0="I", Depth<0.15="Q", flag_valuechange(x,2,2,1,3)="Q", manual) column 14. Conductivity column 15. QA/QC flags for Conductivity (flagging criteria, where "x" is Conductivity: x<0="I", Depth<=0="I", Depth<0.15="Q", manual) column 16. Water pressure at sensor (approximately equivalent to water depth within 3% error) column 17. QA/QC flags for Water pressure at sensor (approximately equivalent to water depth within 3% error) (flagging criteria, where "x" is Pressure: x<0="I", x<0.05="X", x>10="Q", manual) column 18. Water depth to the pressure sensor of the moored sonde column 19. QA/QC flags for Water depth to the pressure sensor of the moored sonde (flagging criteria, where "x" is Depth: x<0="I", x<0.05="X", x>10="Q", manual) column 20. Salinity column 21. QA/QC flags for Salinity (flagging criteria, where "x" is Salinity: x<0="I", Depth<=0="I", x>38="Q", Depth<0.15="Q", flag_valuechange(x,6,6,1,3)="Q", manual) column 22. Sigma-t (i.e. Density-1) column 23. QA/QC flags for Sigma-t (i.e. Density-1) (flagging criteria, where "x" is Sigma_t: Depth<=0="I", Depth<0.15="Q", flag_valuechange(x,5,5,1,3)="Q", x<-5="Q", x>28="Q", manual) 3. Units of Measurement: column 1. none column 2. none column 3. degrees column 4. degrees column 5. none column 6. yyyy-mm-dd HH:MM:SS - GMT column 7. YYYY column 8. MM column 9. DD column 10. hr column 11. min column 12. °C column 13. none column 14. S/m column 15. none column 16. dbar column 17. none column 18. m column 19. none column 20. PSU column 21. none column 22. kg/m^3 column 23. none 4. Data Type a. Storage Type: column 1. integer column 2. string column 3. floating-point column 4. floating-point column 5. integer column 6. string column 7. integer column 8. integer column 9. integer column 10. integer column 11. integer column 12. floating-point column 13. string column 14. floating-point column 15. string column 16. floating-point column 17. string column 18. floating-point column 19. string column 20. floating-point column 21. string column 22. floating-point column 23. string b. Variable Codes: Flag_Temperature: E = unspecified Flag_Conductivity: E = unspecified Flag_Pressure: E = unspecified Flag_Depth: E = unspecified Flag_Salinity: E = unspecified Flag_Sigma_t: E = unspecified c. Numeric Range: column 1. 9 to 9 column 2. (none) column 3. -81.322 to -81.322 column 4. 31.3201 to 31.3201 column 5. 1791 to 3746 column 6. (none) column 7. 2015 to 2015 column 8. 1 to 12 column 9. 1 to 31 column 10. 0 to 23 column 11. 0 to 30 column 12. 8.3868 to 31.7419 column 13. (none) column 14. 0.00737 to 5.6363 column 15. (none) column 16. 0.835 to 4.261 column 17. (none) column 18. 0.82923 to 4.2315 column 19. (none) column 20. 0.045963 to 33.9168 column 21. (none) column 22. -2.8269 to 21.4534 column 23. (none) d. Missing Value Code: 5. Data Format a. Column Type: column 1. numerical column 2. text column 3. numerical column 4. numerical column 5. numerical column 6. text column 7. numerical column 8. numerical column 9. numerical column 10. numerical column 11. numerical column 12. numerical column 13. text column 14. numerical column 15. text column 16. numerical column 17. text column 18. numerical column 19. text column 20. numerical column 21. text column 22. numerical column 23. text b. Number of Columns: 23 c. Decimal Places: column 1. 0 column 2. 0 column 3. 6 column 4. 6 column 5. 0 column 6. 0 column 7. 0 column 8. 0 column 9. 0 column 10. 0 column 11. 0 column 12. 3 column 13. 0 column 14. 3 column 15. 0 column 16. 3 column 17. 0 column 18. 3 column 19. 0 column 20. 3 column 21. 0 column 22. 3 column 23. 0 6. Logical Variable Type: column 1. nominal (discrete) column 2. nominal (none) column 3. geographic coordinate (continuous) column 4. geographic coordinate (continuous) column 5. nominal (discrete) column 6. datetime (none) column 7. datetime (discrete) column 8. datetime (discrete) column 9. datetime (discrete) column 10. datetime (discrete) column 11. datetime (discrete) column 12. data (continuous) column 13. coded value (none) column 14. data (continuous) column 15. coded value (none) column 16. data (continuous) column 17. coded value (none) column 18. calculation (continuous) column 19. coded value (none) column 20. calculation (continuous) column 21. coded value (none) column 22. calculation (continuous) column 23. coded value (none) 7. Flagging Criteria: column 1. none column 2. flag_locationcoords(x,col_Longitude,col_Latitude,0.25,"sensitive","geo_locations.mat")=" Q" column 3. x<-180="Q";x>180="Q" column 4. x<-90="Q";x>90="Q" column 5. none column 6. none column 7. none column 8. x<1="I";x>12="I" column 9. x<1="I";x>31="I" column 10. x<0="I";x>24="I" column 11. x<0="I";x>60="I" column 12. x<0="Q";x>35="Q";col_Depth<=0="I";col_Depth<0.15="Q";flag_valuechange(x,2,2,1,3)="Q";man ually-assigned flags column 13. none column 14. x<0="I";col_Depth<=0="I";col_Depth<0.15="Q";manually-assigned flags column 15. none column 16. x<0="I";x<0.05="X";x>10="Q";manually-assigned flags column 17. none column 18. x<0="I";x<0.05="X";x>10="Q";manually-assigned flags column 19. none column 20. x<0="I";col_Depth<=0="I";x>38="Q";col_Depth<0.15="Q";flag_valuechange(x,6,6,1,3)="Q";man ually-assigned flags column 21. none column 22. col_Depth<=0="I";col_Depth<0.15="Q";flag_valuechange(x,5,5,1,3)="Q";x<-5="Q";x>28="Q";ma nually-assigned flags column 23. none C. Data Anomalies: The value of one record in Temperature was flagged as E (data value estimated by interpolation) for date 03/31/2015. The value of one record in Pressure was flagged as E (data value estimated by interpolation) for date 03/31/2015. The value of one record in Depth was flagged as E (data value estimated by interpolation) for date 03/31/2015. The value of one record in Salinity was flagged as E (data value estimated by interpolation) for date 03/31/2015. The value of one record in Sigma_t was flagged as E (data value estimated by interpolation) for date 03/31/2015. V. Supplemental Descriptors A. Data Acquisition 1. Data Forms: Copies of CTD cast logs and raw data are maintained at the Georgia Coastal Ecosystems Information Management Office 2. Form Location: GCE-LTER Information Management Office, Dept. of Marine Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602 3. Data Entry Validation: not specified B. Quality Assurance/Quality Control Procedures: QA/QC flags are generated automatically according to domain criteria specified for each data column, then subsequently reviewed and revised as appropriate. Coded flag columns are generated for each data column, listing qualifier flags assigned to the data value on the corresponding row. C. Supplemental Materials: not applicable D. Computer Programs: Sea-Bird Electronics Sea-Soft version 4.246, MATLAB version 2013B E. Archival Practices: Data sets and documentation are stored in structured binary (Matlab 5.x files) and delimited ASCII text formats, and archived on magnetic tape and CD at the GCE LTER Information Management Office at the University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA F. Publications: not specified G. History of Data Set Usage 1. Data Request History: not specified 2. Data Set Update History: none 3. Review History: none 4. Questions and Comments from Users: none