CTD data - Kaikōura sperm whale research, University of Otago

CTD data collected during Marta Guerra's PhD project 'Foraging ecology of sperm whales at Kaikōura'. Time coverage: 30-May-2015 to 2-Jan-2018, including autumn/winter field season ('winter', May-July) and spring/summer field season ('summer', Nov-Jan), with a total of 3 winters and 3 summers. CTD casts collected daily (weather permitting) throughout the duration of each field season (each field season lasted typically 8 weeks). Spatial coverage: study area centered over the Kaikōura Canyon. Approximate area: from Kaikōura peninsula, extending out to 12 nautical mile offshore navigational limit to the East and Southeast, and extending 15 nautical miles from the Kaikōura peninsula to the South. CTD carried out over seafloor depths of c. 200m to c. 1500m. Measured variables: temperature, salinity, chlorophyll-a concentration. CTD depths: variable, down to a maximum of 550 m. Instrument type: Winter 2015 = CTD Seabird scientific SBE-19, with WET-Star fluorometer. Maximum depth = 100m. Sampling frequency = 4 Hz. All other seasons = CTD RBR-concerto, with Turner Designs Cyclops-7 fluorometer. Maximum depth = 550m. Sampling frequency = 4 Hz. Platform type: hand-hauling from 6m outboard-powered vessel 'RV Grampus'. Quality control: data were deleted from the processed files when there was a known malfunction with one of the sensors. The processed files also had the upcast deleted from them, as well as the measurements in air, and acclimatisation period at the surface (1 minute since submersion). For more details on the original research project, access PhD thesis here: http://hdl.handle.net/10523/9189 ** NB. If you use these data, please include the following acknowledgements: Data collection and processing - Marta Guerra; Funding - New Zealand Whale and Dolphin Trust, Whale Watch Kaikoura, University of Otago, Ministry of Primary Industries.