Field Ready and Rugged
The CastAway-CTD is a small, rugged, and technically advanced CTD designed for profiling to depths of up to 100 m. The system incorporates modern technical features which allow it to achieve a 5 Hz response time, fine spatial resolution, and high accuracy. It uses a six electrode flow-through conductivity cell with zero external fields and a rapid response thermistor to attain high measurement accuracy. The instrument is simple to deploy, does not require a pump, and is hydrodynamically designed to free fall at a rate of 1 m/s.
The integrated real-time data display screen, internal GPS sensor, and automated wireless data transfer are unique features that simplify data collection.
- Salinity Accuracy: 0.1 PSU
- Temperature Accuracy: 0.05°C
- Small size
- Integrated GPS position
- Real-time display screen
- Wireless data transfer
- 5 Hz sampling rate
Each CastAway-CTD cast is referenced with time and location using its built-in GPS receiver. Latitude and longitude are acquired both before and after each profile. Plots of conductivity, temperature, salinity, and sound speed versus depth can be viewed immediately on the CastAway's integrated color LCD screen in the field. Raw data can be easily downloaded via Bluetooth to a Windows computer for detailed analysis and /or export.
*US Patent #8272262
NOW AVAILABLE: The CastAway-CTD educational curriculum with emphasis on ocean chemistry for use by high school and university level instructors who wish to provide students:
- The theory behind SALINITY: why is the ocean salty, and how is salinity measured?
- What is the Law of Constant Proportions, and how does it apply to salinity?
- Hands-on CastAway field activity emphasizing proper scientific data collection procedures;
- Post-field work analysis of CastAway data and comparisons to global ocean temperatures and salinity data sets available online;
- Conservative and non-conservative elements;
- Residence Time worksheet for tracers;
- and more!
