The following is a typical cycle of tasks during a cast on a CLIVAR cruise. This is only “typical” (your details may vary).
Starting with the rosette being back on the deck, at the end of a cast, a typical cycle of tasks is:
Hardware Recovery
Always make sure the power supply to the battery is OFF before unplugging any cable: be aware of what leads may have live power.
Clean the power/communication cable of the LADCP with freshwater and plug it into the cable that goes to the acquisition PC (located in the wet lab). See:
Data Download
Download the data from the acquisition PC while the battery (the so-called Safe Orange Battery or SOB) is being charged. When the downloading is finished, run a quick test to make sure the data make sense. Finish filling in the acquisition log sheet and toggle off the charger when the SOB is charged. See:
Processing, Plotting, Backups (See below). If there is any time available between the end of the download and the beginning of the next cast, that is when you can work on the data.
Deployment: next cast
Shortly before the next station (which could be immediately) start a new log sheet, use the acquisition computer to tell the LADCP to start pinging (check if you can hear the pings!!). See:
Make sure the SOB charger is off, unplug the power/communication cable and secure each end. See:
Fill the acquisition/processing journal and wait for the rosette to come back on deck and resume the cycle. See:
Processing, Plotting, Backups (See below). While the CTD cast is underway, you can work on the data.
Note
The actual backup scheme here is specific to our goal of having a “processing” computer and a “logging” computer, and having each be able to step in as a direct replacement for the other. That makes the directory scheme and backup scheme a bit cumbersome.
During the time the rosette is underwater and is acquiring data or if there is time between casts, these are the tasks that need attention:
Copy the most recent data (as well as the processed data of the previous cast) on the different back-up disks, download ancillary data (CTD, GPS and SADCP) needed for processing on the processing computer (PC). See:
first check of data
run Python programs to plot timeseries of pressure, temperature, beam velocities etc, to verify that all beams are working and it is safe to use these LADCP transducers for the next cast.
process data
all-python processing (shear method) is not fully functional yet, but should be good enough to get a decent profile if the scattering is good: advantage – no Matlab license required
process the data on the processing PC using the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO) LADCP software with MATLAB.
check results: Once the processing is done (which can take up to 10-15 min), look at the figure containing warning message(s) and the plot showing the final profile in zonal (U) and meridional (V) velocity to check that they make physically sense. See:
plot figures
Plot vertical sections of U and V against time, latitude and/or longitude; top view of the horizontal velocity averaged over different depth ranges, etc, that can be viewable by the rest of the cruise members on the local website. See:
download/backup other data
Download other important data and back-up all data–raw, ancillary and processed. See:
NOTE: One task needs to be done (more or less) every 4 or 5 casts, which is to check the build-up of the gas bubble in the SOB and to release some of it if necessary (see purging).
Never bend or twist connectors.
- use a simple “pull” to unplug
- use a simple “push” to plug
Never dry a plug with a paper towel.
- use Kimwipes or other lint-free absorbent paper to blot the connector dry. It’s OK to dry the outside of the plug with a paper towel, but not the parts that mate.
In general, do not edit anything in home/currents/programs unless you find a bug and are confident of the solution.
If there is any problem or if you have any doubt, contact us:
- Jules Hummon: hummon@hawaii.edu
- Eric Firing: efiring@hawaii.edu