This dataset has been extracted as part of an exercise to assemble "all" Cefas
Temperature Data and publish it in a Data paper. It is one of 17 Cefas data
sources assembled.
This data source differs from the others in this collection because it arises
from an investigation into the potential for Citizen Science to contribute to
assessments of the marine environment. The dataset is derived from a database
containing over 7,000 records of temperature data collected from temperature
compensated dive computers. The lowest temperature is recorded from the
thermal sensor. The unprocessed data were then subjected to a quality control
process that compared the temperature with the relevant sea surface
temperature (obtained from OSTIA – Operational Sea Surface Temperature and Sea
Ice Analysis –
http://ghrsst–pp.metoffice.com/pages/latest_analysis/ostia.html_).
There was a linear correlation between the sea surface temperature and the
recorded temperature at depth. Values exceeding a specified difference from
the surface temperature (5°C) were excluded. This resulted in a quality
assured dataset of just over 5,000 records (including freshwater and lake
data). The subset of global dataset provided covers the UK shelf.
The 5°C threshold is derived from previous analyses of the performance of dive
computers.
.. _http://ghrsst–pp.metoffice.com/pages/latest_analysis/ostia.html:
http://ghrsst-pp.metoffice.com/pages/latest_analysis/ostia.html