This file contains data from field sampling or surveys of bottom dwelling marine organisms. The data provide information on species abundance, distribution, and biomass; they may have been collected by point sampling (grab or core), by tow (dredge, trawl or net), by photographic surveys, or by other methods. Cruise information such as vessel, start and end dates, investigator, and institution/agency; station numbers, positions and times; and equipment and methods are reported for each survey. Environmental data reported at each sampling site may include meteorological and sea surface conditions; surface and bottom temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen; and sediment characteristics. Number of individual organisms and total weight of organisms is reported for each species. A text record is available for comments.
Seven 80-character records: (1) Header Record, (2) Station Header Record (Tows), (3) Station Header Record (Point Sampling), (4) Environ- mental Record, (5) Bottom Characteristics Record, (6) Taxonomic Data Record, and (7) Text Record.
| PARAMETER | DESCRIPTION | STARTING COLUMN | FIELD LENGTH |
|---|---|---|---|
| HEADER RECORD | |||
| NODC FILE NUMBER | ALWAYS '132' | 1 | 3 |
| NODC TRACK NUMBER | 6-CHARACTER UNIQUE CRUISE OR DATA SET IDENTIFIER ASSIGNED BY NODC | 4 | 6 |
| RECORD NUMBER | ALWAYS 'A' - THIS RECORD SHOULD BE SUBMITTED ONLY ONCE FOR EACH DISCRETE DATA SET (FILE ID). | 10 | 1 |
| BLANKS | 11 | 5 | |
| VESSEL/PLATFORM NAME | ELEVEN CHARACTER FIELD TO IDENTIFY THE SURVEY PLATFORM NAME | 16 | 11 |
| CRUISE/SURVEY ID | SIX-CHARACTER FIELD ASSIGNED BY ORIGINATOR TO IDENTIFY THE CRUISE OR SURVEY | 27 | 6 |
| SURVEY DATE - FROM | YYYYMMDD - START DATE | 33 | 8 |
| SURVEY DATE - TO | YYYYMMDD - END DATE | 41 | 8 |
| INVESTIGATOR | 17-CHARACTER FIELD TO IDENTIFY INVESTIGATING SCIENTIST OR OTHER DATA SOURCE | 49 | 17 |
| INSTITUTION OR AGENCY | 15-CHARACTER FIELD TO IDENTIFY NAME OF INVESTIGATOR'S INSTITUTION | 66 | 15 |
| PARAMETER | DESCRIPTION | STARTING COLUMN | FIELD LENGTH |
| STATION HEADER RECORD (TOWS) | |||
| NODC FILE NUMBER | ALWAYS '132' | 1 | 3 |
| NODC TRACK NUMBER | 6-CHARACTER UNIQUE CRUISE OR DATA SET IDENTIFIER ASSIGNED BY NODC | 4 | 6 |
| RECORD NUMBER | ALWAYS 'B' - THIS RECORD IS MANDATORY FOR POSITION AND DATE OF TOWS AND SHOULD BE USED TO DESCRIBE METHODS FOR TOW-TYPE SAMPLING SUCH AS DREDGES, TRAWLS, SLED-MOUNTED CAMERAS, ETC. | 10 | 1 |
| STATION NUMBER | 5-CHARACTER FIELD ASSIGNED BY THE INVESTIGATOR THAT IDENTIFIES ALL RECORD TYPES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS STATION. THE STATION NUMBER REPRESENTS A FIXED LOCATION AND DATE/TIME AND CANNOT BE DUPLICATED. EVERY NEW RECORD TYPE 'B' MUST HAVE A NEW STATION NUMBER WITHIN A CRUISE OR SURVEY | 11 | 5 |
| LATITUDE | DDMMSS (DEGREES, MINUTES, SECONDS) | 16 | 6 |
| LATITUDE HEMISPHERE | 1-CHARACTER CODE - 'N' OR 'S' | 22 | 1 |
| LONGITUDE | DDDMMSS (DEGREES, MINUTES, SECONDS) | 23 | 7 |
| LONGITUDE HEMISPHERE | 1-CHARACTER CODE - 'E' OR 'W' | 30 | 1 |
| OBSERVED DATE (GMT) | YYYYMMDD - AT START OF TOW | 31 | 8 |
| OBSERVED TIME (GMT) | HHMM - AT START OF TOW | 39 | 4 |
| BOTTOM TYPE | TWO-CHARACTER CODE - GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE BOTTOM FOR THE TOW, USE NODC CODE 0077 | 43 | 2 |
| EQUIPMENT CODE | THREE-CHARACTER CODE - USE NODC CODE 0185 | 45 | 3 |
| TOW DIRECTION | XXX - 'TOWARD' DIRECTION OF TOW (WHOLE DEGREES) | 48 | 3 |
| TOW DURATION | XXX - LENGTH OF TIME OF TOW (HOURS TO HUNDREDTHS) | 51 | 3 |
| START DEPTH | XXXX - DEPTH TO BOTTOM AT START FOR TOW (WHOLE METERS) | 54 | 4 |
| END DEPTH | XXXX - DEPTH TO BOTTOM (WHOLE METERS) AT END OF TOW. | 58 | 4 |
| WIRE LENGTH | XXXX - LENGTH OF WINCH WIRE (WHOLE METERS) | 62 | 4 |
| WIRE ANGLE | XX - ANGLE OF WINCH WIRE (WHOLE DEGREES FROM THE VERTICAL) | 66 | 2 |
| AREA SAMPLED | XXXXXXX - AREA SAMPLED BY TOW (SQUARE METERS TO HUNDREDTHS) | 68 | 7 |
| SALINITY METHOD | ONE-CHARACTER CODE - ('P'=PRACTICAL SALINITY, 'S'=SALINITY, BLANK=NOT SPECIFIED) | 75 | 1 |
| BLANKS | 76 | 1 | |
| SEQUENCE NUMBER | XXXX - ASCENDING NUMERIC USED TO ORDER RECORDS WITHIN EACH STATION NUMBER | 77 | 4 |
| PARAMETER | DESCRIPTION | STARTING COLUMN | FIELD LENGTH |
| STATION HEADER RECORD (POINT SAMPLING) | |||
| NODC FILE NUMBER | ALWAYS '132' | 1 | 3 |
| NODC TRACK NUMBER | 6-CHARACTER UNIQUE CRUISE OR DATA SET IDENTIFIER ASSIGNED BY NODC | 4 | 6 |
| RECORD NUMBER | ALWAYS 'C' - THIS RECORD IS MANDATORY FOR POSITION AND DATE OF POINT SAMPLING AND SHOULD BE USED TO DESCRIBE THE EQUIPMENT FOR STATIONS OF POINT SAMPLING SUCH AS GRABS AND CORES. | 10 | 1 |
| STATION NUMBER | SEE RECORD 'B' | 11 | 5 |
| LATITUDE | DDMMSS (DEGREES, MINUTES, SECONDS) | 16 | 6 |
| LATITUDE HEMISPHERE | 1-CHARACTER CODE - 'N' OR 'S' | 22 | 1 |
| LONGITUDE | DDDMMSS (DEGREES, MINUTES, SECONDS) | 23 | 7 |
| LONGITUDE HEMISPHERE | 1-CHARACTER CODE - 'E' OR 'W' | 30 | 1 |
| OBSERVED DATE (GMT) | YYYYMMDD | 31 | 8 |
| OBSERVED TIME (GMT) | HHMM | 39 | 4 |
| EQUIPMENT CODE | ONE-CHARACTER CODE FOR METHOD OF SAMPLE COLLECTION - USE NODC CODE 0309 | 43 | 1 |
| SCREEN MESH SIZE | XXXX - SMALLEST MESH SIZE OF SIEVE USED (MILLIMETERS TO HUNDREDTHS) | 44 | 4 |
| SURFACE AREA | XXXX - SURFACE AREA OF CORE OR GRAB (SQUARE METERS TO THOUSANDTHS) | 48 | 4 |
| PENETRATION DEPTH | XXXX - DEPTH OF PENETRATION OF CORE OR GRAB (CENTIMETERS TO TENTHS) | 52 | 4 |
| SAMPLE VOLUME | XXXX - TOTAL VOLUME OF ALL REPLICATES SAMPLED (LITERS TO TENTHS) | 56 | 2 |
| NUMBER OF REPLICATES | XX - TOTAL COLLECTED AT THIS STATION WHICH MAKE UP THE SAMPLE VOLUME | 58 | 2 |
| SALINITY METHOD | ONE-CHARACTER CODE - ('P'=PRACTICAL SALINITY, 'S'=SALINITY, BLANK=NOT SPECIFIED) | 60 | 1 |
| STATION IDENTIFIER | 10-CHARACTER ORIGINATOR STATION IDENTIFIER | 61 | 10 |
| BLANKS | 71 | 6 | |
| SEQUENCE NUMBER | XXXX - SEE RECORD 'B' | 77 | 4 |
| PARAMETER | DESCRIPTION | STARTING COLUMN | FIELD LENGTH |
| ENVIRONMENTAL RECORD | |||
| NODC FILE NUMBER | ALWAYS '132' | 1 | 3 |
| NODC TRACK NUMBER | 6-CHARACTER UNIQUE CRUISE OR DATA SET IDENTIFIER ASSIGNED BY NODC | 4 | 6 |
| RECORD NUMBER | ALWAYS 'D' - THIS RECORD IS USED TO DESCRIBE SURFACE ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS FOR EACH STATION. | 10 | 1 |
| STATION NUMBER | SEE RECORD 'B' | 11 | 5 |
| BAROMETRIC PRESSURE | XXXXX - MILLIBARS TO TENTHS | 16 | 5 |
| DRY BULB TEMPERATURE | XXXX - NEGATIVE TEMPERATURES ARE PRECEDED BY A MINUS SIGN ADJACENT TO TEMPERATURE VALUE (DEGREES C TO TENTHS) | 21 | 4 |
| WET BULB TEMPERATURE | XXXX - NEGATIVE TEMPERATURES ARE PRECEDED BY A MINUS SIGN ADJACENT TO TEMPERATURE VALUE (DEGREES C TO TENTHS) | 25 | 4 |
| WIND DIRECTION | TWO-CHARACTER CODE, DIRECTION IS FROM - USE NODC CODE 0110 | 29 | 2 |
| WIND SPEED | XX (WHOLE KNOTS) | 31 | 2 |
| SEA DIRECTION | TWO-CHARACTER CODE, DIRECTION IS FROM - USE NODC CODE 0110 | 33 | 2 |
| SEA HEIGHT | ONE-CHARACTER CODE - USE NODC CODE 0104 | 35 | 1 |
| SWELL DIRECTION | TWO-CHARACTER CODE, DIRECTION IS FROM - USE NODC CODE 0110 | 36 | 2 |
| SWELL HEIGHT | ONE-CHARACTER CODE - USE NODC CODE 0104 | 38 | 1 |
| WEATHER | ONE-CHARACTER CODE - USE NODC CODE 0108 | 39 | 1 |
| CLOUD TYPE | ONE-CHARACTER CODE - USE NODC CODE 0053 | 40 | 1 |
| CLOUD COVER | ONE-CHARACTER CODE - USE NODC CODE 0105 | 41 | 1 |
| VISIBILITY | ONE-CHARACTER CODE - USE NODC CODE 0157 | 42 | 1 |
| TRANSPARENCY | XXXX - SECCHI DISC DEPTH (METERS TO TENTHS) | 43 | 4 |
| TURBIDITY | ONE-CHARACTER CODE - USE NODC CODE 0094 | 47 | 1 |
| SURFACE WATER TEMPERATURE | XXXXX (DEGREES C TO THOUSANDTHS) | 48 | 5 |
| SURFACE SALINITY | XXXXX (PARTS PER THOUSAND OR PRACTICAL SALINITY UNITS - TO THOUSANDTHS) | 53 | 5 |
| SURFACE DISSOLVED OXYGEN | XXXX (MILLILITERS/LITER TO HUNDREDTHS) | 58 | 4 |
| BLANKS | 62 | 15 | |
| SEQUENCE NUMBER | XXXX - SEE RECORD 'B' | 77 | 4 |
| PARAMETER | DESCRIPTION | STARTING COLUMN | FIELD LENGTH |
| BOTTOM CHARACTERISTICS RECORD | |||
| NODC FILE NUMBER | ALWAYS '132' | 1 | 3 |
| NODC TRACK NUMBER | 6-CHARACTER UNIQUE CRUISE OR DATA SET IDENTIFIER ASSIGNED BY NODC | 4 | 6 |
| RECORD NUMBER | ALWAYS 'E' - THIS RECORD IS USED TO DESCRIBE ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS OF THE BOTTOM AND CORE INFORMATION. | 10 | 1 |
| STATION NUMBER | SEE RECORD 'B' | 11 | 5 |
| SAMPLE NUMBER | XXXXX - UNIQUE SAMPLE IDENTIFIER ASSIGNED BY THE ORIGINATOR WITHIN EACH STATION | 16 | 5 |
| REPLICATE NUMBER | XX - UNIQUE REPLICATE IDENTIFIER WITHIN EACH SAMPLE AND/OR STATION NUMBER | 21 | 2 |
| CORE SEGMENT IDENTIFIER | XXXX - UNIQUE IDENTIFIER FOR EACH SEGMENT IN A CORE FOR EACH REPLICATE OR SAMPLE | 23 | 4 |
| CORE SEGMENT START DEPTH | XXX - TOP DEPTH OF CORE SEGMENT (CENTIMETERS TO TENTHS) | 27 | 3 |
| CORE SEGMENT STOP DEPTH | XXX - BOTTOM DEPTH OF CORE SEGMENT (CENTIMETERS TO TENTHS) | 30 | 3 |
| BOTTOM TEMPERATURE | XXXXX (DEGREES C TO THOUSANDTHS), NEGATIVE TEMPERATURES ARE PRECEDED BY A MINUS SIGN ADJACENT TO TEMPERATURE VALUE | 33 | 5 |
| BOTTOM SALINITY | XXXXX (PARTS PER THOUSAND OR PRACTICAL SALINITY UNITS - TO THOUSANDTHS) | 38 | 5 |
| BOTTOM DISSOLVED OXYGEN | XXXX (MILLILITERS/LITER TO HUNDREDTHS) | 43 | 4 |
| SEDIMENT ORGANIC CARBON | XXXX (PERCENT BY WEIGHT TO HUNDREDTHS) | 47 | 4 |
| SEDIMENT TOTAL CARBON | XXXX (PERCENT BY WEIGHT TO HUNDREDTHS) | 51 | 4 |
| GRAVEL | XXX (PERCENT BY WEIGHT TO TENTHS) | 55 | 3 |
| SAND | XXX (PERCENT BY WEIGHT TO TENTHS) | 58 | 3 |
| SILT | XXX (PERCENT BY WEIGHT TO TENTHS) | 61 | 3 |
| CLAY | XXX (PERCENT BY WEIGHT TO TENTHS) | 64 | 3 |
| AVERAGE PHI SIZE | XXX - (OF SEDIMENT) TO TENTHS | 67 | 3 |
| BLANKS | 70 | 7 | |
| SEQUENCE NUMBER | XXXX - SEE RECORD 'B' | 77 | 4 |
| PARAMETER | DESCRIPTION | STARTING COLUMN | FIELD LENGTH |
| TAXONOMIC DATA RECORD | |||
| NODC FILE NUMBER | ALWAYS '132' | 1 | 3 |
| NODC TRACK NUMBER | 6-CHARACTER UNIQUE CRUISE OR DATA SET IDENTIFIER ASSIGNED BY NODC | 4 | 6 |
| RECORD NUMBER | ALWAYS 'F' - THIS RECORD IS USED TO REPORT THE NUMBER AND WEIGHT OF EACH TAXON COLLECTED WITHIN A SAMPLE. | 10 | 1 |
| STATION NUMBER | SEE RECORD 'B' | 11 | 5 |
| SAMPLE NUMBER | XXXXX - SEE RECORD 'E' | 16 | 5 |
| REPLICATE NUMBER | XX - SEE RECORD 'E' | 21 | 2 |
| CORE SEGMENT IDENTIFIER | XXXX - SEE RECORD 'E' | 23 | 4 |
| TAXONOMIC CODE | 12-DIGIT CODE - USE NODC TAXONOMIC CODE-IF SPECIES CODE IS NOT AVAILABLE, CONTACT NODC FOR CODE ASSIGNMENT. DO NOT INDEPENDENTLY ASSIGN CODES TO NEW SPECIES OR SPECIES WHOSE CODES HAVE NOT YET BEEN ASSIGNED. | 27 | 12 |
| NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS | XXXXX - TOTAL NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS PER SPECIES FOR SAMPLE UNIT MEASURED | 39 | 5 |
| QUALITATIVE CODE | ONE-CHARACTER CODE - USED TO DESCRIBE TAXON QUALITY AS IT PERTAINS TO COUNT OR WEIGHT MEASUREMENTS - USE NODC CODE 0012 | 44 | 1 |
| WET WEIGHT | XXXXXXXXX - TOTAL WET WEIGHT OF INDIVIDUALS (GRAMS TO THOUSANDTHS) FOR SPECIES REPORTED ABOVE | 45 | 9 |
| ASH-FREE WEIGHT | XXXXXX - TOTAL ASH-FREE DRY WEIGHT OF INDIVIDUALS (GRAMS TO THOUSANDTHS) FOR SPECIES REPORTED ABOVE | 54 | 6 |
| CORRECTED WEIGHT | XXXXXXX - DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WET AND ASH-FREE WEIGHTS (GRAMS TO THOUSANDTHS) | 60 | 7 |
| DATE OF WEIGHING | YYYYMMDD - DATE OF WEIGHING OF SAMPLE | 67 | 8 |
| BLANKS | 73 | 4 | |
| SEQUENCE NUMBER | XXXX - SEE RECORD 'B' | 77 | 4 |
| PARAMETER | DESCRIPTION | STARTING COLUMN | FIELD LENGTH |
| TEXT RECORD | |||
| NODC FILE NUMBER | ALWAYS '132' | 1 | 3 |
| NODC TRACK NUMBER | 6-CHARACTER UNIQUE CRUISE OR DATA SET IDENTIFIER ASSIGNED BY NODC | 4 | 6 |
| RECORD NUMBER | ALWAYS 'T' | 10 | 1 |
| STATION NUMBER | SEE RECORD 'B' | 11 | 5 |
| SAMPLE NUMBER | XXXXX - SEE RECORD 'E' | 16 | 5 |
| REPLICATE NUMBER | XX - SEE RECORD 'E' | 21 | 2 |
| CORE SEGMENT IDENTIFIER | XXXX - THIS FIELD, THE REPLICATE NUMBER FIELD AND THE SAMPLE NUMBER FIELD MAY BE USED TO DEFINE THE SPECIFICITY OF THE COMMENTS. IF THE TEXT IS ASSOCIATED WITH A STATION AS A WHOLE THE ABOVE FIELDS SHOULD BE LEFT BLANK. IF THE TEXT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE ENTIRE SURVEY AS A WHOLE, THE STATION, SAMPLE, REPLICATE AND CORE SEGMENT NUMBERS SHOULD BE LEFT BLANK. | 23 | 4 |
| TEXT | 50-CHARACTER FIELD FOR COMMENTS OR PERTINENT INFORMATION | 27 | 50 |
| SEQUENCE NUMBER | XXXX - SEE RECORD 'B' | 77 | 4 |
| CODE NUMBER | CODE NAME |
|---|---|
| 0012 | QUALITATIVE |
| 0053 | CLOUD TYPE (WMO 500) |
| 0077 | BOTTOM TYPE |
| 0094 | TURBIDITY |
| 0104 | WAVE HEIGHT (WMO 1555) |
| 0105 | CLOUD AMOUNT (WMO 2700) |
| 0108 | WEATHER (WMO 4501) |
| 0110 | WIND-WAVE DIRECTION |
| 0157 | VISIBILITY (WMO 4300) |
| 0185 | EQUIPMENT |
| -- | NODC TAXONOMIC CODE |