Research cruise documentation

This page provides information and cruise-specific documentation for UK Shelf Sea Biogeochemistry programme members and principle scientists participating on cruises.

Metadata labelling and standards

Oceanographic data are useless without knowing what, where, when and how they were collected. Collating this data about data (or metadata) is crucial for comparing data spatially and temporally over large research programmes such as Shelf Sea Biogeochemistry. In order to facilitate the exchange of data between programme members, it is required that all scientists relate their observational data and data arising from physical samples to SSB-specific metadata detailed in the document below.

  • Labelling and metadata standards for the UK Shelf Sea Biogeochemistry programme – Labelling and metadata standards for the UK Shelf Sea Biogeochemistry programme (377 KB)

Please follow the data submission guidelines on how to submit data to the British Oceanographic Data Centre (BODC) .

Cruise summary reports (CSR)

CSRs are designed to summarise all the data sets collected on a cruise. They are a requirement by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) and are submitted to BODC within 7 days of a cruise end. It is the PSO’s responsibility to compile the CSR for a cruise. Once completed, CSRs should be submitted to the SSB data manager at BODC via email (Louise Darroch).

  • Guide to writing cruise summary reports (CSRs) – Guide to writing cruise summary reports (CSR) (30 KB)
  • Cruise summary report (CSR) form template – Cruise Summary Report form template (250 KB)

Cruise reports (CR)

Cruise reports are detailed descriptions of all activities that occurred on a cruise. They are a requirement under the United Nations Convention on the Law Of the Sea (UNCLOS) and are obligatory if cruises wish to obtain future diplomatic clearance in foreign waters. They are usually written to publication standard and contain a summary of the cruise, technical reports, central logs and individual scientific reports. They are submitted to BODC within 6 months of a cruise end.

It is the PSO’s responsibility to compile the CR for a cruise. Once completed, cruise reports should be submitted to the SSB data managers at BODC via email (Louise Darroch).

  • Guide to writing the PSO’s cruise report (CR) – Guide to writing the PSO's cruise report (46 KB)
  • Additional guidance on writing individual scientific cruise report sections – Additional guidance on writing individual scientific cruise report sections (303 KB)

Log templates

Example log templates are available for download here. The logs are not obligatory. Alternatively, they can be downloaded and amended to suit your needs.

  • Central event/station log – Central event/station log (16 KB)
  • Master underway discrete sample log – Underway discrete sample log (59 KB) Underway discrete sample log (72 KB)
  • Master CTD bottle log – CTD bottle deck sampling log (60 KB) CTD bottle deck sampling log (79 KB)
  • Generic deployment/recovery log – Generic deployment/recovery log (154 KB) Generic deployment/recovery log (73 KB)
  • Generic corer/grab log – Generic corer/grab log (153 KB) Generic corer/grab log (79 KB)
  • Megacorer/multicorer log – Megacorer/multicorer log (154 KB) Megacorer/multicorer log (79 KB)