WORKSHOP: Management and processing of geophysical data from continuous monitoring onboard the ship NRP Sagres
The marine boundary layer pays a key role in the Earth’s climate. However, current knowledge on marine boundary layer processes is still very incomplete, partly due to the lack of observations over the ocean, resulting from the difficulty of performing in-situ marine measurements. Project SAIL (Space-Atmosphere-Ocean Interactions in the marine boundary Layer) aimed to improve understanding on the marine boundary layer through a monitoring campaign onboard the tall ship NRP Sagres. The campaign focused on the measurement of the Earth’s atmospheric electric field, a key parameter of the Earth system, influencing not only climate and atmospheric properties, but also the human activities which depend on the state of the upper atmosphere and ionosphere, such as satellite navigation and communication systems. Despite its relevance, oceanic measurements of the atmospheric electric field are scarce since typically oceanic measurements tend to be focused on ocean properties rather than on the atmosphere above. In addition to the electrical properties of the atmosphere, the SAIL campaign included detailed monitoring of GNSS signals, solar and cosmic radiation, environmental radioactivity and atmospheric ionisation. The atmospheric measurements were complemented by underwater monitoring of the ocean state (temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, pH, spectral radiance) using a tow-fish. All the observations, in air as well as underwater, were linked to the same rigorous temporal reference frame and precise positioning through kinematic GNSS observations. This presentation addresses the management and processing of the data acquired in the SAIL campaign, focusing on data management and quality-control activities up to data publication and distribution.