Environmental Data Management System of the Institut des sciences de la mer and Québec-Océan (EDMS-ISMER-QO)

L'Institut des sciences de la mer (ISMER) of the Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR) manages oceanographic data from research missions conducted through numerous collaborations in Quebec, Canada and around the world via its environmental data management system (EDMS) developed with and maintained thanks to the Québec-Ocean strategic cluster, funded since 2002 by the Fonds de Recherche du Québec. Québec-Océan brings together oceanographic research teams from nine universities and numerous partners active in the field of oceanographic research in the province of Quebec to strengthen excellence, train highly qualified personnel and support society towards a more sustainable interaction with the marine environment. This collection contains two main types of data, CTD data and anchoring data, covering all regions of the world where ISMER and Québec-Océan are active, with a particular emphasis on the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the North, and Argentina.

CTD Data
This type of data refers to the measurement of physicochemical parameters of seawater along a vertical line obtained out at a given location from the sea surface to the bottom at a given time. Temperature and conductivity, which is related to salinity, are the basic parameters that are measured as a function of depth and presented in the form of a vertical profile. Other sensors are frequently added to the conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) profiler in order to measure other parameters such as dissolved oxygen concentration, fluorescence and transmissivity.

ADCP Data (Available soon)
This type of data refers to the speed and direction of the current at various depths along a vertical profile by measuring the Doppler shift of the backscattered acoustic waves, hence the name ADCP for Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler. When the ADCP is moored, a time series of current profiles at a given location is obtained. Some moored ADCP also measure surface waves parameters (height, period, direction). When the ADCP is attached to the hull of a moving ship, a portrait of the currents is then obtained that is both temporal and spatial.