Thermal Mass Correction for the Evaluation of Salinity

This paper revisits the thermal mass inertia correction of Sea-Bird Electronics, Inc., (SBE4) conductivity probes for the calculation of salinity. In particular, it is shown that the standard parameters recommended for the correction method are not satisfactory for the data collected during recent campaigns at sea. A method, based on Morison et al., is proposed to determine optimal values for the correction parameters from selected datasets. Values valid for general cases are then proposed that yield significant improvements in the reduction of salinity errors that occur during the upcasts and downcasts of CTD profilers in areas with sharp thermoclines. The sources of the differences found between the recommended coefficient values and the ones proposed here are also discussed.