Factors affecting the quality of XBT data – results of analyses on profiles from the Western Mediterranean Sea

[摘要] EXpendable BathyThermograph (XBT) temperature profiles collected in the framework of theMediterranean Forecasting System – Toward Environmental Prediction (MFS-TEP) project havebeen compared with CTD measurements. New procedures for the quality control of recorded valueshave been developed and checked.Some sources of possible uncertainties and errors, such as the response time of the apparatus (XBTprobe, thermistor and readout chain), or the influence of initial conditions are also analysed.To deal with the high homogeneity of Mediterranean waters, a new technique to compute the fallrate coefficients, that give a better reproduction of the depth of thermal structures, has beenproposed, and new customized coefficients have been calculated. After the application of atemperature correction, the overall uncertainties in depth and in temperature measurements havebeen estimated.

[学科分类] 海洋学与技术