2014 - 2015 Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science (Cefas) Shelf Sea Biogeochemistry - CANDYFLOSS SmartBuoy

This data set consists of biogeochemical sensor data from SmartBuoy moorings (Mills et al, 2005). SmartBuoys consist of a 4 meter tall stainless steel frame with a fibreglass torroid for buoyancy. Instruments are attached at a nominal 1 meter depth to the frame. In-air sensors are mounted to the top of the torroid. The buoys feature a satellite telemetry system providing near real-time telemetry. Temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll, fluorescence, turbidity and photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) sensors were fitted to a Cefas ESM2 data logger. These instruments gathered data for 5 minutes every 30 minutes. Sensors were validated against in-situ samples during deployment and recovery. The buoy was also fitted with a water sampler which took periodic samples into pre-spiked (HgCl2) bags for later nutrient analysis. The in-situ salinity and nutrients samples are quality controlled via the Quality Assurance for Marine Environmental Measurements (QUASIMEME) scheme. PAR sensors were calibrated against a standard lamp. Fluorometers were standardised using fluorosphere beads. Turbidity meters were calibrated using Stabical (Hach, US). This mooring was also fitted with a thermistor string (multiple temperature sensors at various depth), this data is held by BODC.