Some hints for using sbplot, sberead, etc.
The data reading for SBPLOT is done with SBEREAD. Per se it can read binary- and ascii-Seabird or netcdf-formatted files. Binary-Seabird or netcdf or netcdf-formatted files are prefered, as reading takes less time than ascii-formatted. If possible ascii-files are copied to a mat-file on the first read. Calling those datafiles again, the mat-file will be read instead of ascii. For this reason, attention has to be paid on deleting the mat-files, when the ascii-file had been changed.
As in most cases it is nessesary to known the position (and the waterdepth
for sections), header lines in the Seabird data file are recomended for
latitude, longitude and waterdepth as shown in the example below:
Latitude: -56.78
Longitude: -34.67
Waterdepth: 2356
Some different ways of declaring the position are understood
(for example -56.5; 56S30.0; 7N 45.7; 30W45.7; 20E23; etc.), but
there might still be some errors, especially when a comma is used
instead of a decimal point.
In the netcdf files similar named global attributes or variables have to
be present.
It is possible to correct
these values in sbplot itself, but they will not be saved. Therefore this work has
to be done again each time reading those datafiles.
To include a new
format just put the new code into SBEREAD wich fills in the variables
DATA (for each variable a column and for each cycle a row), NAMEN (the
names of the variables in DATA), LAT,LON,TIME (the latitude, longitude
and time of measurement) and WTIEFE (the water depth).
As the program is later searching for PTS values, it is best to
give these variables some common names (e.G. pressure, temperature,
salinity) or else the program will always ask you for the names of
these variables.