IMOS - Southern Ocean Time Series (SOTS) - Multi-year Gridded Product
Updated: 2026-10-07
This report describes the production of a multi-year record, at hourly (UTC) frequency and standard pressures, from quality-controlled observations collected by moored sensors at the Southern Ocean Time Series observatory (SOTS). The product compiles measurements from all SOTS moorings deployed in the period 2009-2022. Production of the gridded product used all data flagged 1 (good) and 2 (probably good), as identified by the previous QC procedures. The gridded product is available as a netCDF file from the AODN Data Portal. This report should be consulted when using the data. The Southern Ocean Time Series (SOTS) Observatory located near 141°E and 47°S provides high temporal resolution observations in Subantarctic waters. It is focused on the Subantarctic Zone because waters formed at the surface in this region by deep wintertime convection slide under warmer subtropical and tropical waters, carrying CO2 and heat into the deep ocean, where it is out of contact with the atmosphere. This process also supplies oxygen for deep ocean ecosystems, and exports nutrients that fuel ~70% of global ocean primary production. Local biological production also impacts carbon cycling and the SOTS moorings measure several variables important to these processes.
Data
- Southern Ocean Time Series page on IMOS website
- AODN Data Portal (discover SOTS data by refining your search using the SOTS sub-facility under IMOS, in the Organisation Facet)
- Multi-year Gridded Product report - Version 1.1 (to be edited)
- Full metadata link
- https://licensebuttons.net/l/by/4.0/88x31.png
- http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
- {"title":"IMOS - Deep Water Moorings - Southern Ocean Time Series (SOTS) Sub-Facility","recordAbstract":"The Southern Ocean Time Series (SOTS) sub-facility provides high temporal resolution observations in sub-Antarctic waters. Observations are broad and include measurements of physical, chemical and biogeochemical parameters from multiple deep-water moorings. The emphasis is on inter-annual variations of upper ocean properties and their influence on exchange with the deep ocean. The time-series provided permit investigation into issues of ocean physics and chemistry, climate change, carbon cycling and biogeochemical controls on marine productivity. These moorings provide cost-effective observations and overcome the infrequent availability of ships in the region. \n\nThe SOTS site is located in the sub-Antarctic Zone (SAZ), southwest of Tasmania, near 47S, 142E. SOTS observations are made from\n1) a deep ocean sediment trap mooring, used to collect sinking particles to quantify carbon transports. This mooring also provides current meter measurements and a deep ocean CTD to measure heat contents below the depth of ARGO profiling float measurements.\n2) the Pulse biogeochemistry mooring, used to measure upper ocean carbon cycle and phytoplankton productivity processes included sensor measurements of dissolved gases (O2, N2) and bio-optical properties. This mooring also collects water samples for measures of dissolved carbon and nutrients, and phytoplankton microscopic identification. Instrumentation was moved to the FluxPulse mooring in 2016, and then to the SOFS mooring (below).\n3) additional biogeochemical sensors (CO2, O2, bio-optical, and bio-acoustic devices) mounted on the nearby Southern Ocean Flux Station air-sea flux mooring (and managed by the Air-Sea Flux Stations sub-facility). Instrumentation was briefly moved to the FluxPulse mooring in 2016."}
- {"title":"IMOS - Deep Water Moorings - Southern Ocean Time Series (SOTS) Subantarctic Zone Sediment Trap Moorings (SAZOTS) (deployments from 1998)","recordAbstract":"Sediment traps (IMOS platform code:SAZOTS) are cones which intercept and store falling marine particles in collection cups. The particles consist of a range of material including phytoplankton, zooplankton, faecal pellets, and dust. Each trap collects a time series of samples. The sediment traps are from deep moorings in the Southern Ocean, typically at 47S, but also including 54S, and 61S and at around 140 degrees East. Each mooring typically has 2-3 traps between 800m and 3800m below sea-level.\n\nThe samples are size fractionated into <1mm and >1mm fractions using a 1mm sieve. Various chemical analyses and observations have been made on the <1mm fraction. Analysis methods are described in the attached document \"SAZ PROJECT MOORED SEDIMENT TRAPS: RESULTS OF THE 1997-1998 DEPLOYMENTS\", and in more detail in the SOTS annual reports (https://catalogue-imos.aodn.org.au:443/geonetwork/srv/api/records/afc166ce-6b34-44d9-b64c-8bb10fd43a07).\n\nPhotographs of the >1mm fraction from the 47S deployments are available here for download, starting from 1998. After processing, data from IMOS deployments will be made available.\n\nData from 47S deployments, starting in 1997, have been quality controlled and are available through the AODN Portal."}
- {"title":"IMOS - Deep Water Moorings - Southern Ocean Time Series (SOTS) - all delayed-mode data","recordAbstract":"This collection consists of observations from the deep-water moorings at the Southern Ocean Time Series (SOTS) site in the sub-Antarctic Zone (SAZ), southwest of Tasmania, near 47S, 142E. The moorings are 1) the Pulse biogeochemistry mooring (instrumentation was moved to the FluxPulse mooring in 2016, and then to the SOFS mooring); 2) the Sub-Antarctic Zone (SAZ) sediment trap mooring; and 3) the Southern Ocean Flux Station (SOFS) (the instrumentation was briefly moved to the FluxPulse mooring in 2016). All three are operated by the Australian Bluewater Observing System. Data are processed in delayed mode and available in NetCDF format. The Southern Ocean Time Series (SOTS) sub-facility provides high temporal resolution observations in sub-Antarctic waters. Observations are broad and include measurements of physical, chemical and biogeochemical parameters from multiple deep-water moorings. The emphasis is on inter-annual variations of upper ocean properties and their influence on exchange with the deep ocean. The time-series provided permit investigation into issues of ocean physics and chemistry, climate change, carbon cycling and biogeochemical controls on marine productivity. The Pulse biogeochemistry mooring is used to measure upper ocean carbon cycle and phytoplankton productivity processes. Measured parameters include temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, nitrate, clorophyll and turbidity. This mooring also collects water samples for measures of dissolved carbon and nutrients, and phytoplankton microscopic identification. The SAZ sediment trap mooring is used to collect sinking particles to quantify carbon transports, and provides current meter measurements and a deep ocean CTD to measure heat contents below the depth of Argo profiling float measurements. The SOFS mooring has dual sets of radiometers, temperature and humidity sensors, precipitation gauges and sonic anemometers, providing the measurements necessary for computing air-sea fluxes of heat, momentum and mass. Surface photosynthetically active radiation and surface UV are also measured, to help assess light available for phytoplankton production."}
- {"title":"IMOS - Southern Ocean Time Series (SOTS) - Quality Assessment and Control Report - Remote Access Sampler: Total Alkalinity and Total Dissolved Inorganic Carbon Analyses","recordAbstract":"This report details the quality control procedures applied to the total alkalinity and total dissolved inorganic carbon data from samples collected by the Remote Access water Sampler (McLane Labs, Inc., RAS 500) deployed on the SOTS and Pulse moorings between 2009 and 2019. The quality controlled datasets are publicly available via the AODN Data Portal. This report should be consulted when using the data. \n\nThe Southern Ocean Time Series (SOTS) Observatory located at 140°E and 47°S provides high temporal resolution observations in sub-Antarctic waters. It is focused on the sub-Antarctic Zone because waters formed at the surface in this region slide under warmer subtropical and tropical waters, carrying CO2 and heat into the deep ocean, where it is out of contact with the atmosphere. This process also supplies oxygen for deep ocean ecosystems, and exports nutrients that fuel ~70% of global ocean primary production. This region is also the boundary between the nutrient rich waters of the Southern Ocean and the oligotrophic subtropical gyres to the north. These processes are sensitive to climate change, but the probable nature and impacts are not yet known."}
- {"title":"IMOS - Southern Ocean Time Series (SOTS) - Net Community Production (NCP) Calculation Procedure and MATLAB Code","recordAbstract":"The Southern Ocean Time Series (SOTS) Observatory, located in Subantarctic waters near 141°E and 47°S, consists of autonomous moorings that provide high temporal resolution observations. It is focused on the Subantarctic Zone because waters formed at the surface in this region by deep wintertime convection slide under warmer subtropical and tropical waters, carrying CO2 and heat into the deep ocean, where it is out of contact with the atmosphere. This process also supplies oxygen for deep ocean ecosystems, and exports nutrients that fuel ~70% of global ocean primary production. \n\nLocal biological production also impacts carbon cycling and the SOTS moorings measure several variables important to these processes including solar radiation, chlorophyll fluorescence, optical backscatter, dissolved nitrate, dissolved oxygen, and total dissolved gases (using a total gas tension device). The oxygen and total gas tension observations can be combined to separate physical and biological contributions to surface mixed layer oxygen budgets and thus to yield estimates of net community production. This procedure, and the associated MATLAB code, are the subjects of this report. The code is currently enabled explicitly for the first three mooring deployments at SOTS with full suites of successful biogeochemical sensors required for the NCP calculations: Pulse-7, Pulse-9, and SOFS-7.5. It is constructed to allow expansion to future SOTS data sets, as well as other time series observations."}
- {"title":"IMOS - Southern Ocean Time Series (SOTS) - Quality Assessment and Control Report - Wetlabs FLNTUS instruments","recordAbstract":"This report details the quality control applied to the bio-optical data collected from the Southern Ocean Time Series (SOTS) moorings between 2009 and 2016. The quality controlled datasets are publicly available via the AODN Data Portal. This report should be consulted when using the data. \n\nThe Southern Ocean Time Series (SOTS) Observatory located at 140°E and 47°S provides high temporal resolution observations in sub-Antarctic waters. It is focused on the sub-Antarctic Zone because waters formed at the surface in this region slide under warmer subtropical and tropical waters, carrying CO2 and heat into the deep ocean, where it is out of contact with the atmosphere. This process also supplies oxygen for deep ocean ecosystems, and exports nutrients that fuel ~70% of global ocean primary production. The sub-Antarctic Zone and these processes are expected to change with global warming, but the potential impacts of these changes are not yet known."}
- {"title":"IMOS - Southern Ocean Time Series (SOTS) - Quality Assessment and Control Report - PAR instruments","recordAbstract":"This report describes the quality control procedures applied to PAR data collected from the Southern Ocean Time Series (SOTS) moorings between 2009 and 2019. The quality controlled datasets are publicly available via the AODN Data Portal. This report should be consulted when using the data. \n\nThe Southern Ocean Time Series (SOTS) Observatory located near 141°E and 47°S provides high temporal resolution observations in sub-Antarctic waters. It is focused on the sub-Antarctic Zone because waters formed at the surface in this region by deep wintertime convection slide under warmer subtropical and tropical waters, carrying CO2 and heat into the deep ocean, where it is out of contact with the atmosphere. This process also supplies oxygen for deep ocean ecosystems, and exports nutrients that fuel ~70% of global ocean primary production. Local biological production also impacts carbon cycling and the SOTS moorings measure several variables important to these processes, including photosynthetically available radiation (PAR)."}
- {"title":"IMOS - Southern Ocean Time Series (SOTS) - Quality Assessment and Control Report - Remote Access Sampler: Sample Analysis, Phytoplankton Analysis","recordAbstract":"This report details the quality control procedures applied to the data from samples collected by the Remote Access water Sampler (McLane RAS 500) deployed on the SOTS and Pulse moorings between 2009 and 2019. The quality controlled datasets are publicly available via the AODN Data Portal. This report should be consulted when using the data. \n\nThe Southern Ocean Time Series (SOTS) Observatory located at 140°E and 47°S provides high temporal resolution observations in sub-Antarctic waters. It is focused on the sub-Antarctic Zone because waters formed at the surface in this region slide under warmer subtropical and tropical waters, carrying CO2 and heat into the deep ocean, where it is out of contact with the atmosphere. This process also supplies oxygen for deep ocean ecosystems, and exports nutrients that fuel ~70% of global ocean primary production. This region is also the boundary between the nutrient rich waters of the Southern Ocean and the oligotrophic subtropical gyres to the north. These processes are sensitive to climate change, but the probable nature and impacts are not yet known."}
- {"title":"IMOS - Southern Ocean Time Series (SOTS) - Annual Reports","recordAbstract":"The Southern Ocean Time Series (SOTS) Observatory is a Sub-Facility of the Australian Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS), funded by the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS). It is operated under collaborative arrangements by the CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, Bureau of Meteorology, and University of Tasmania (via the Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre). The primary focus is sustained observing of ocean properties and processes important to climate, carbon cycling, and ocean productivity. \n\nSOTS consists of deep ocean moorings deployed in Subantarctic waters southwest of Tasmania, equipped with autonomous sensors and sample collectors. SOTS moorings are serviced annually - the existing moorings are recovered and new moorings are deployed. Some sensor data is transmitted from the moorings via satellite in near real time. Other sensor data and samples are recovered during the annual service visit.\n\nFor each year, three reports are issued:\nReport 1. Overview of mooring voyages, dates, locations, designs, instruments \nReport 2. Samples from moored and shipboard sample collections \nReport 3. Sensors mounted on the moorings moored and shipboard\n\nThese reports focus on metadata, i.e. descriptions of the moorings, sensors, samplers, and their deployment, recovery, processing, analysis and curation. Pointers are provided to supporting information from voyage reports and to on-line sources of the data. Shipboard sensor and sample measurements made during the service visits are also described. \n\nReport 1. Overview - describes the deployment and recovery of the moorings. It provides their locations, drawings of their designs, and lists of each instrument deployed and the variables measured. It also summarizes ancillary measurements and sample collections made during the deployment and recovery voyages. \n\nReport 2. Samples - describes 3 main types of samples and associated composition measurements:\n1.\tSediment trap samples collected by the Subantarctic Zone (SAZ) mooring.\n2.\tWater samples collected by the RAS water sampler deployed on either the Pulse or Southern Ocean Flux Station (SOFS) mooring, and collected by the TM sampler deployed on the SOFS mooring.\n3.\tSamples collected with other devices during the SOTS service voyages, e.g. from CTD Niskin bottles, in-situ pumps, continuous plankton recorders, and nets. \nNote that not all these sample types were collected in any given year.\n\nReport 3.\n\nSee child metadata records of this record for access to annual reports for a given research year."}
- {"title":"IMOS - Southern Ocean Time Series (SOTS) - Quality Assessment and Control Report - Remote Access Sampler: Sample Analysis, Macronutrient Analysis","recordAbstract":"This report details the quality assessment and control procedures applied to the macronutrient samples from the Remote Access Sampler deployed on Southern Ocean Flux Station (SOFS) and Pulse moorings between 2009 and 2018. The quality controlled datasets are publicly available via the AODN Data Portal. This report should be consulted when using the data. \n\nThe Southern Ocean Time Series (SOTS) Observatory located at 140°E and 47°S provides high temporal resolution observations in sub-Antarctic waters. It is focused on the sub-Antarctic Zone because waters formed at the surface in this region slide under warmer subtropical and tropical waters, carrying CO2 and heat into the deep ocean, where it is out of contact with the atmosphere. This process also supplies oxygen for deep ocean ecosystems, and exports nutrients that fuel ~70% of global ocean primary production. The sub-Antarctic Zone and these processes are expected to change with global warming, but the potential impacts of these changes are not yet known."}
- {"title":"IMOS - Southern Ocean Time Series (SOTS) - Quality Assessment and Control Report - Salinity Records","recordAbstract":"This report details the quality control (QC) procedures applied to salinity data collected from the Southern Ocean Time Series (SOTS) moorings between 2006 and 2021. These measurements help to quantify heat and fresh water transfers, help to distinguish Eulerian from Lagrangian influences on seasonal records, and contribute to understanding controls on surface mixed layer depth (and thus light availability to primary production). The quality controlled datasets are publicly available via the AODN Data Portal. This report should be consulted when using the data. \n\nThe Southern Ocean Time Series (SOTS) Observatory located near 141°E and 47°S provides high temporal resolution observations in Subantarctic waters. It is focused on the Subantarctic Zone because waters formed at the surface in this region by deep wintertime convection slide under warmer subtropical and tropical waters, carrying CO2 and heat into the deep ocean, where it is out of contact with the atmosphere. This process also supplies oxygen for deep ocean ecosystems, and exports nutrients that fuel ~70% of global ocean primary production. Local biological production also impacts carbon cycling and the SOTS moorings measure several variables important to these processes."}
- {"title":"IMOS - Southern Ocean Time Series (SOTS) - Quality Assessment and Control Report - Sediment Trap Particle Fluxes","recordAbstract":"This report details the quality assessment and control procedures applied to the particle flux data collected by the Sub-Antarctic Zone (SAZ) moorings between 1997 and 2018. The quality controlled datasets are publicly available via the AODN Data Portal. This report should be consulted when using the data. \n\nThe Southern Ocean Time Series (SOTS) Observatory located at 140°E and 47°S provides high temporal resolution observations in sub-Antarctic waters. It is focused on the sub-Antarctic Zone because waters formed at the surface in this region slide under warmer subtropical and tropical waters, carrying CO2 and heat into the deep ocean, where it is out of contact with the atmosphere. This process also supplies oxygen for deep ocean ecosystems, and exports nutrients that fuel ~70% of global ocean primary production. The sub-Antarctic Zone and these processes are expected to change with global warming, but the potential impacts of these changes are not yet known."}
- {"title":"IMOS - Southern Ocean Time Series (SOTS) - Quality Assessment and Control Report - Oxygen Records","recordAbstract":"This report details the quality control (QC) procedures applied to oxygen data collected from the Southern Ocean Time Series (SOTS) moorings between 2009 and 2021. These measurements help to quantify net community production (and thus carbon export). The quality controlled datasets are publicly available via the AODN Data Portal. This report should be consulted when using the data. \n\nThe Southern Ocean Time Series (SOTS) Observatory located near 142°E and 47°S provides high temporal resolution observations in Subantarctic waters. It is focused on the Subantarctic Zone because waters formed at the surface in this region by deep wintertime convection slide under warmer subtropical and tropical waters, carrying CO2 and heat into the deep ocean, where it is out of contact with the atmosphere. This process also supplies oxygen for deep ocean ecosystems, and exports nutrients that fuel ~70% of global ocean primary production. Local biological production also impacts carbon cycling and the SOTS moorings measure several variables important to these processes."}
- {"title":"IMOS - Southern Ocean Time Series (SOTS) - Quality Assessment and Control Report - Temperature Records","recordAbstract":"This report details the quality control applied to the temperature data collected from the Southern Ocean Time Series (SOTS) moorings between 2006 and 2019. These measurements quantify heat and fresh water transfers, help to distinguish Eulerian from Lagrangian influences on seasonal records, and contribute to understanding controls on surface mixed layer depth (and thus light availability to primary production). The quality controlled datasets are publicly available via the AODN Data Portal. This report should be consulted when using the data. \n\nThe Southern Ocean Time Series (SOTS) Observatory located at 141°E and 47°S provides high temporal resolution observations in sub-Antarctic waters. It is focused on the sub-Antarctic Zone because waters formed at the surface in this region by deep wintertime convection slide under warmer subtropical and tropical waters, carrying CO2 and heat into the deep ocean, where it is out of contact with the atmosphere. This process also supplies oxygen for deep ocean ecosystems, and exports nutrients that fuel ~70% of global ocean primary production. Local biological production also impacts carbon cycling and the SOTS moorings measure several variables important to these processes."}
