Station Header Format

Content

The station header includes in the first lines mandatory information like the station identifier, date, time, location, list of observed parameters and units. The environmental information on the observations archived either behind " *DC= " (for Data collection), other relevant information behind "*DM=" (for Data Management) or "COMMENT" is optional.

Description

BP =Beginning Position; SL = string length

NP = number of observed parameters incl. the reference (pressure);

NCO = number of comment lines in the header

LINE	FIELD	DESCRIPTION	BP	SL	TYPE
1	start character	*	1	1	char	M
	reference	MEDATLAS ref. (cruise+station+cast)	2	18	char	M
	key word	'Data Type='	21	10	char	M
	data type	ROSCOP code	31	3	char	M
2	date	'*DATE=', DDMMYYYY	1	14	char	M
	time	'TIME=',HHMN	16	9	char	NB
	latitude N/S	'LAT=', N or S	26	5	char	M
	lat. degrees	latitude degrees (0 to 90)	31	2	char	M
	lat. minutes	latitude minutes.hundredth	34	5	char	M
	longitude E/W	'LON=', E or W	40	5	char	M
	long. degrees	longitude degrees (0 to 180)	45	3	char	M
	long. minutes	minutes.hundredth	49	5	char	M
	key word	'DEPTH='	55	6	char	NB
	bottom depth	bottom depth in metres	61	6	num	M
	key word	'QC='	68	3	char	M
	time flag	QC flag on date and time	71	1	num	M
	lat. flag	QC flag on latitude	72	1	num	M
	long. flag	QC flag on longitude	73	1	num	M
	depth flag	QC flag on bottom depth	74	1	num	M
3	key word	'*NB PARAMETERS= '	1	15	char	M
	nb. of columns	number of measured parameters (NP)	16	2	num	M
	key word	'RECORD LINES='	19	13	char	M
	number of lines	number of observations records (NL)	3	2 5	num	M
3+1 TO 3+NP	1st character	'*'	1	1	char	M
	title column p	GF3 code for parameter p	2	4	char	M
	name of parameter p	parameter full name (IOC def.)	7	30	char	M
	unit of parameter p	( 'IS/IOC unit' )	37	30	char	M
	key word	'def.='	68	5	char	M
	default value of parameter p	string of '9'.string of '9' same format as the parameter p	73	nlen(	np) num	M
4+NP	key word	'*GLOBAL PROFILE QUALITY FLAG='	1	29	char	M
	profile QC	global quality flag value	30	1	num	M
	key word	'GLOBAL PARAMETERS QC FLAGS='	32	27	char	M
	profile QC	global Q flags for parameter N	50	N	num	M
5+NP	collect hist.1	'*DC HISTORY='method, instrum. etc	1	80	char	O
6+NP	collect hist.2	'*', continuation	1	80	char	O
7+NP	archv. hist.1	'*DM HISTORY', data mangt. history	1	80	char	O
8+NP	archv. hist.2	'*', end of data management	1	80	char	O
9+NP	comment 1	'*COMMENT ', first comment line	1	80	char	O
10+NP TO 8+NP+NCO	comment 2	'*' optional information 'EDATE=',	1	15	char	O
	keyword + value	'ETIME=',HHMN	17	10	char	O
	keyword + value	'ELAT=', N or S	28	5	char	O
		latitude degrees (0 to 90)	34	2	char	O
		latitude minutes.hundredth	37	5	char	O
	keyword + value	'ELON=', E or W	43	5	char	O
		longitude degrees (0 to 180)	49	3	char	O
		minutes.hundredth	52	5	char	O
	keyword	'EDEPTH='	59	6	char	O
		bottom depth in meter	66	6	num	O
	keyword + value	'*SECCHI DISK='	1	80	char	O
	comment	'*' any other information to archive	1	80	char	O
	comment	'*', last comment line	1	80	char O	O
9+NP+NCO	surface obs. 1	*SURFACE SAMPLES=', samples	1	80	char	O
10+NP+NCO	surface obs. 2	'*' continuation	1	80	char O	O
LAST	start character	*	1	1	char	M
	title 1	'PRES' or ref. parameter	2	4	char	M
	separator	blank	6	nlen(1)-4	blank	M
	title 2	GF3 code parameter 2	bp(2)	4	char	M

	separator		bp(np-1)+4	nlen(np-1)-3	blank	M
	title np	GF3 code parameter np	bp(np)	4	char	M

Explanations

First character of the header lines

All the lines begin with the character " * ".

Latitude and Longitude

In order to avoid ambiguity, N/S and E/W are specified for latitude and longitude instead of signs.

Missing information

Missing time should be assigned to '9999' and "TIME IS UNKNOWN" added in comment line.

Other missing information (when optional) in character strings: 'X' as many times as the missing string length or 'UNKNOWN' or ‘9’ for numerical values (like bottom depth).

Parameters List

The first observed parameter is the reference, which for vertical profiles must be the pressure in decibar.

The list of each observed parameter (pressure,temperature, salinity, nutrients) include the parameter (extended) GF3 code, name, unit (International System) and default value. A different unit corresponds to a different parameter code.

History and information on the data processing

In order to maintain some flexibility with the format and not to loose existing complementary information on the data processing, meteorological observations etc. not taken into account in the format, three specific fields terminate each header profile:

*DC HISTORY for the information linked to the data collection at sea (like instrument, calibration)

*DM HISTORY for the information linked to the data management and archiving (like the source latitude if the sign or the value has been changed)

*COMMENT for all optional data and meta data like time and location at the end of the profile, meteorological observations.

Do not repeat keywords (ex use EDATE=, ETIME= ELAT=, ELON=, EDEPTH and not DATE, TIME, LAT, LON, DEPTH) to specify the end date, time, latitude, longitude and bottom depth of a station. The number of *COMMENT lines is not limited. All the meteorological information and the information behind the comment lines (end of the station, secchi disk, meteorological observations) is optional, but to access them easely, it is better to use GF3 codes as keywords (3.6)

Last line

The last line begins with the character " * " and the parameter GF3 codes as titles of the columns of observations. They should be the same as the list.

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