Assessment of the Representativeness and Uncertainties of CTD Temperature Profiles

CTD profilers are used as reference instruments to qualify temperature and salinity data. Their metrological specifications can be controlled in calibration bath and calibration coefficients can be applied to correct the linearity of sensors and the trueness of measured data with a given uncertainty. However, in ocean areas with thermal gradients, the uncertainty of the measured data is questionable due to the thermal inertia of sensors and the movements of the CTD, in relation with the roll or pitch of the boat. In order to evaluate these measurement uncertainties and in order to be able to use the upcast profiles, a double C-T sensors SBE 9 profiler was fixed under a carousel water sampler, the second C-T couple being at the top of the carousel frame. This configuration allows the evaluation of temperature measurement deviations of recorded profiles. In order to quantify the different sources of instrumental uncertainties, the temperature signal has been modelled accounting for the movements induced by the boat. The result allows to quantify what can be called the representativeness of CTD’s temperature measurements. This notion is very useful in data assimilation process. A table quantifying the various sources of uncertainty has been created from profiles obtained during four offshore campaigns. In the future, it could be used to find the representativeness of similar profiles obtained with a single pair of sensors.