
Title:  METADATA FOR STATION/ENVIRONMENTAL DATA SETS FROM PUMP CASTS
	COLUMBIA RIVER LMER PROJECT

Contact: Charles A. Si Simenstad
	Fisheries Research Institute
	University of Washington
	Box 357980
	Seattle, WA  98195-7980  USA
	email: csimenstad@lternet.edu

Principle Investigators (Institution) and research area: 
	Antonio Baptista (Oregon Graduate Inst. of Oceanography)		hydrodynamics;
	John Baross (Univ. of Washington School of Oceanography)		microbiology;
	L.J. Sam Bledsoe (UC-Davis Civil and Environmental Engineering)	system modeling;
	David Jay (Oregon Graduate Inst. of Oceanography)			geophysics;
	Fredrick Prahl (Oregon St. Univ. Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences)	geochemistry;
	Denise Reed (Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium)		sediment transport;
	Charles A. Si Simenstad (Univ. Washington Fisheries Research Inst.) zooplankton
	Lawrence Small (Oregon St. Univ. Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences)	phytoplankton

Data Description: Pump casts were conducted immediately following a CTD cast and are, thus, cross-
referenced by CTD data parameters.  Pump samples were collected from usually three depths per cast (near-
surface, mid-depth, near-bottom), with PIs responsible for analyzing core parameters.  These data are 
critical for many aspects of the study as they are used to construct dynamic models of the estuarine turbidity 
maxima at different tidal and flow regimes.  See Simenstad et al. (1994) for a project overview.

Spatial and Temporal Resolution:  Pump cast sampling, and associated CTD casts took place from a fixed 
vessel during one 28-35 day cruise per year in 1990, 1991, 1992, 1995, and 1996.   During 1997, sampling 
was performed during 2 week cruises in May, July, and October.

Methodology:  Measurements were conducted from an anchored vessel.  A Seabird (1990-1992) SBE 9/11 
or Ocean Sensors (1995-1996) model OS-200 CTD equipped with a CT cell, OBS sensor, and a WetLabs 
AC-3 chlorophyll meter/transmissometer were deployed approximately every 30 minutes.  Water samples 
were collected with a pump attached to the CTD package immediately following a CTD cast.  CTDs were 
factory calibrated each year.  CTD data, unless otherwise noted, were taken on the downcast and the 
resulting salinity and temperature profiles were used to select pump depths on the following upcast.

Variables:
	Code		cast-specific code number (see below)
	Date		Date in MM/DD/YY format
	Time		Time of day (Pacific Standard Time)
	DegLatN		degrees north latitude
	MinLatN		minutes north latitude, decimal is tenths of minutes
	DegLongW	degrees west longitude
	MinLongW	minutes west longitude, decimal is tenths of minutes
	RiverKm		kilometer mark along river channel
	Bottle		nutrient bottle reference number
	Salinity	salinity
	Temp		temperature in degrees Celcius
	Depth		depth in meters
	Density		density (sigma-T)
	OBS		optical backscattering (see below)
	Fluor		chlorophyll a (mg/m^3) determined by fluorometer (1992 only)
	AC3chla		chlorophyll a (mg/m^3) determined by AC-3 (see below) 
	Atten		beam attenuation (1/m)
	Transmiss	transmissivity (% pure water)

Explanation of Code:
	Format of code is:  YYBSENN
		
		YY	first two digits indicate year
		B	letter(s) indicates boundary location or tidal series as follows: U=upstream 
(beyond salt wedge), D=downstream (below estuarine turbidity maximum), N=neap tide, S=spring tide, 
SN=spring-neap transition, E= ebb, F=flood, L=long time series, YB=Youngs Bay, CB=Cathlamet Bay
		S	number of sample series at that location/tidal stage
		E	event number (sequence) within that series (an E or F may follow this number 
indicating and ebb or flood tide sampling
		NN	two (or three) digits indicate CTD cast number that corresponds to the pump cast
		*	an asterisk after the code indicates CTD data taken from the downcast 
immediately prior to the pump cast

Other data notes:
	*** OBS units are linearly related to suspended particulate material as measured in mg/L.

	***  The AC-3 unit was used beginning in 1995; data sets since then will have a column for  this 
variable. The voltage reading from the AC-3 is transformed into a chlorophyll a value using the factory 
calibration coefficients.  The voltage signal is proportional to chlorophyll absorption after light passage 
through a series of filters contained within the AC-3 unit.

	*** In 1995, missing density data is denoted by a value of -10

	*** In 1995 and 1996, there was a malfunction in the AC-3 unit on the CTD.  This resulted in no 
chlorophyll or transmissometer readings.  Furthermore, temperature readings were affected at low salinities 
(< 1.0) and may be inaccurate by as much as +/- 0.2 degrees C.  It is unknown if/when these data can be 
reconstructed.  No chlorophyll sensor was employed in 1990 and 1991.

File format: comma-delineated ASCII with header;
	maximum number of records = 1447;
	maximum number of data columns = 16

References:

Simenstad, CA, DJ Reed, DA Jay, JA Baross, FG Prahl, and LF Small. 1994. Land-Margin Ecosystem 
Research in the Columbia River Estuary: an interdisciplinary approach to investigating couplings between 
hydrological, geochemical and ecological processes within estuarine turbidity maxima. In: KR Dyer and RJ 
Orth, eds., Changes in fluxes in estuaries: Implications from science to management (ECSA22/ERF, 
Plymouth, September 1992). pp 437-444.  Olsen and Olsen, Fredensborg, Denmark.
 

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