Anomalous Spiking in Spectra of XCTD Temperature Profiles

Abstract The high vertical resolution of temperature and salinity measurements from expendable conductivity–temperature–depth (XCTD) instruments can be useful for inferring small-scale mixing rates in the ocean. However, XCTD temperature profiles show distinct spectral spikes at frequencies of 5 and 10 Hz, corresponding to 1 and 2 cycles per five measurement points. Peaks at these same frequencies are often present in the conductivity spectra as well. The spectral spikes occur in XCTD profiles from both the subtropical and subpolar regions. They appear to originate as digital electronic noise within the probes. A finite impulse response filter design procedure was used to develop filters that could remove the spectral spikes while retaining as much high vertical resolution as possible. For most purposes, the application of an 11-point, least squares, low-pass filter proves sufficient for removing the spectral energy at 5 and 10 Hz, and results in an effective minimum vertical resolution of about 0.7 m.