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MIDAS (Multiple Instrument Data Acquisition System) is the ship's underway data acquisition system. Water flows through the system pumped from approximately one meter below the surface passing by sensors that measure various water quality parameters like temperature, salinity, chlorophyll, and turbidity.
MIDAS is a PC based Multiple Instrument Data Acquisition System (MIDAS) controlled by a rack mounted dual processor Digital Server 3000R with 21" monitor, and 10 gigabyte hard drive. A National Instruments 16 port serial expansion board allows modular integration of instrumentation, rapid sampling rates, and the maintenance of a real-time data display. Analog sensor signals are converted to a serial format for output to the host PC using using R.M. Young A/D devices. The controlling software was developed using National Instruments LabVIEW, to allow accessibility and ease of modification.
A real time graphical display provides charting and data display to the ships two labs as well as anywhere else on the ships network. Navigational data is acquired from a Starlink differential GPS or a Trimble GPS with a Micronet Receiver Station. The Micronet Receiver Station is a land based differential system privately maintained (provided for LUMCON’s use by Doug Chocrane Technologies, Lafayette, Louisiana), with sub 5-meter accuracy and available out to 300 miles in the Gulf of Mexico. A sea water flow-through system provides sea surface temperature, conductivity, chlorophyll fluorescence, and transmissometry data using: a Sea-bird Electronics SBE 21 Thermosalinograph; a Sea-Bird Electronics SBE 38 Remote Digital Immersion Thermometer; Turner Designs Model 10 Series Fluorometers; and a WETLabs 10 centimeter or 25.0-centimeter path length transmissometer. MIDAS also integrates the data from the ships meteorological suite into the data set and display. The meteorological suite consists of a R.M. Young 05103 Wind Monitor, a R.M. Young model 61201 Barometric Pressure sensor, a R.M. Young TS05327 Temperature and Relative Humidity sensor and photo synthetically active radiation (PAR) is measured with a LI-COR LI-190SZ Quantum Sensor.
Young MA05103 Wind Monitor anemometer: An anemometer with a four blade helicoid propeller and lightweight direction vane. Vane angle is sensed by a precision potentiometer. The instrument body is UV stabilized plastic with stainless steel and anodized aluminum fittings. The instrument mounts on standard 1 inch pipe. Windspeed accuracy is +-0.3m/s and wind direction accuracy is 3 degrees.
An anemometer is a device for measuring the velocity or the pressure of the wind. It is commonly used to measure wind speed. Aboard research vessels, it is often mounted with other meteorological instruments and sensors.
R.M. Young model 61201 Barometric Pressure sensor
A barometer is an instrument used to measure atmospheric pressure. There are many types of barometers identified by make and model and method of measurement.
Starlink differential GPS or a Trimble GPS with a Micronet Receiver Station. The Micronet Receiver Station is a land based differential system privately maintained (provided for LUMCON's use by Doug Chocrane Technologies, Lafayette, Louisiana) with sub 5-meter accuracy and available out to 300 miles in the Gulf of Mexico.
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a U.S. space-based radionavigation system that provides reliable positioning, navigation, and timing services to civilian users on a continuous worldwide basis. The U.S. Air Force develops, maintains, and operates the space and control segments of the NAVSTAR GPS transmitter system. Ships use a variety of receivers (e.g. Trimble and Ashtech) to interpret the GPS signal and determine accurate latitude and longitude.
MIDAS is a PC based Multiple Instrument Data Acquisition System (MIDAS) controlled by a rack mounted dual processor Digital Server 3000R with 21" monitor, and 10 gigabyte hard drive. A National Instruments 16 port serial expansion board allows modular integration of instrumentation, rapid sampling rates, and the maintenance of a real-time data display. Analog sensor signals are converted to a serial format for output to the host PC using using R.M. Young A/D devices. The controlling software was developed using National Instruments LabVIEW, to allow accessibility and ease of modification. A real time graphical display provides charting and data display to the ships two labs as well as anywhere else on the ships network. Navigational data is acquired from a Starlink differential GPS or a Trimble GPS with a Micronet Receiver Station. The Micronet Receiver Station is a land based differential system privately maintained (provided for LUMCON’s use by Doug Chocrane Technologies, Lafayette, Louisiana), with sub 5-meter accuracy and available out to 300 miles in the Gulf of Mexico. A sea water flow-through system provides sea surface temperature, conductivity, chlorophyll fluorescence, and transmissometry data using: a Sea-bird Electronics SBE 21 Thermosalinograph; a Sea-Bird Electronics SBE 38 Remote Digital Immersion Thermometer; Turner Designs Model 10 Series Fluorometers; and a WETLabs 10 centimeter or 25.0-centimeter path length transmissometer. MIDAS also integrates the data from the ships meteorological suite into the data set and display. The meteorological suite consists of a R.M. Young 05103 Wind Monitor, a R.M. Young model 61201 Barometric Pressure sensor, a R.M. Young TS05327 Temperature and Relative Humidity sensor and photo synthetically active radiation (PAR) is measured with a LI-COR LI-190SZ Quantum Sensor.
MIDAS System
LI-COR LI-190SZ Quantum Sensor
A PAR sensor measures photosynthetically available (or active) radiation. The sensor measures photon flux density (photons per second per square meter) within the visible wavelength range (typically 400 to 700 nanometers). PAR gives an indication of the total energy available to plants for photosynthesis. This instrument name is used when specific type, make and model are not known.
Sea-Bird SBE 38 Remote Digital Immersion Thermometer is a seawater temperature sensor in a 10,500 meter (34,400 ft) titanium pressure housing. Real-time temperature data is transmitted in ASCII characters (degrees C or raw counts) via an RS-232 or optional RS-485 serial interface for display or logging by PC or data logger. The SBE 38's measurement range is -5 to +35 C; absolute accuracy is better than 0.001 C (1 mK) and resolution is approximately 0.00025 C (0.25 mK).
Sea-bird Electronics SBE 21 Thermosalinograph
A thermosalinograph (TSG) is used to obtain a continuous record of sea surface temperature and salinity. On many research vessels the TSG is integrated into the ship's underway seawater sampling system and reported with the underway or alongtrack data.
WETLabs 10 centimeter or 25.0-centimeter path length transmissometer
A transmissometer measures the beam attenuation coefficient of the lightsource over the instrument's path-length. This instrument designation is used when specific manufacturer, make and model are not known.
The Turner Designs 10-AU Field Fluorometer is used to measure Chlorophyll fluorescence. The 10AU Fluorometer can be set up for continuous-flow monitoring or discrete sample analyses. A variety of compounds can be measured using application-specific optical filters available from the manufacturer. (read more from Turner Designs, turnerdesigns.com, Sunnyvale, CA, USA)
date (GMT)
time(GMT)
longitude (West is negative)
latitude (South is negative)
True Wind Speed
True Wind Direction
Air Temperature
Humidity
Barometric_Pressure
Photosynthetically active radiation
speed over the ground
course over the ground
Depth (High Freq)
Turner AU10 fluorescence
Transmittance
Sea Temperature
Conductance
Salinity from underway thermosalinograph
Seachest Temp
Relative Wind Speed
Relative Wind Direction
Wetlabs fluorescence
Wetlabs Volts
Wetlabs raw counts
Year of data collection
cruise identification; PE = RV/Pelican
yearday in gmt. GMT day and decimal time, as 326.5 for the 326th day of the year, or November 22 at 1200 hours (noon).
month of year, GMT time
day of month, gmt time
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