Howdy all,
Week two with the HOT team has managed to equip me with a greater understanding of how CTD data is processed, new equipment is made in preparation for research cruises, and instrumentation is maintained between cruises.
On Monday we learned how the Hawaii Ocean Time team processes their CTD data by following a standard processing procedure after each cruise. This procedure involves removing duplicate data points, binning data, and communicating with databases to store the roughly processed data. After this is completed, a series of quality control checks is performed by the HOT team research associates and data reports are generated. The majority of this processing is fully automated using a mix of MATLAB, Python, and Bash scripting. After learning how HOT processes their data we were introduced to the Seasoft method of CTD data processing and learned the advantages and challenges of converting to this processing system.
On Tuesday we learned how to properly splice different CTD-sensor connecting cables together for the next HOT cruise. With this introduction, we checked wire continuity, soldered connections, and properly waterproofed the connections to handle extreme pressures and temperatures. On Wednesday we disassembled, inspected, and cleaned a Seabird carousel. We learned how the device worked and the common maintenance checks that should be performed after each cruise to ensure its continued operation. On Thursday, we learned how to horizontally plumb a backup CTD to ensure that the temperature, conductivity, and oxygen sensors work properly. We also disassembled, inspected, and cleaned a LADCP system and learned how its data is recorded.
Come Friday, we took a trip to the University of Hawaii Manoa Marine Center to install the new carousel on the HOT rosette, disassemble the Niskin bottles, and test new CTD orientations and mounting ideas.
Overall, this week was a great introduction to new equipment, data processing best practices, and hands-on technical experience!
Best,
Hunter
