Specifications for an STD/CTD System at the NODC

The National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) has an obligation to archive stratification data including the modern measurements made by electronic STDs and CTDs. In a companion report (Molinelli and Kirwan, 1980) the information requirements on an STD/CTD system are determined. In this report, NODC's present system is evaluated in terms of its ability to handle the required information and in terms of the cost, speed and simplicity of the system's operation. These items are presented in Section 2. Specific improvements to the system are recommended in Section 3. Appendices are included which give more details than are presented in the text of this report.