The above photo shows a CTD cast off the J-frame on the port side of the forward deck of the Oregon II. CTD stands for Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth. It is an instrument package which is lowered through the water column and retrieves environmental data. Some of the data includes depth, temperature, conductivity (salinity), transmittance, oxygen content, and flourometry. CTDs are conducted on almost every cruise that the Oregon II performs. Besides general environmental data which are examined in conjuction with living resources data, sound profiles can be extracted from a CTD cast's temperature and salinity data. This sound profile can then be entered into acoustical equipment for enhanced bathymetry acquisition.
