Mixed layer depth was calculated from the oceanographic temperature and salinity cast data used to generate CARS2000. It was defined to be the minimum (shallower) depth of depths zt and zs, where zt and zs are the shallowest depths such that abs(T(zt)-T(10m)) >= .4C and abs(S(zs)-S(10m)) >= 0.03 PSU. These values were then mapped onto a regular .5 degree grid using a loess filter, as used in CARS2000, simultaneously fitting quadratic spatial functions and annual harmonics. These fields were then linearly interpolated to the required 1/10th degree spatial resolution. The provided "annual amplitude" is simply the magnitude of the fitted annual sinusoid. CARS is a set of seasonal maps of temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, nitrate, phosphate and silicate, generated using Loess mapping from all available oceanographic data in the region. It covers the region 100-200E, 50-0S, on a 0.5 degree grid, and on 56 standard depth levels. Higher resolution versions are also available for the Australian continental shelf. The data was obtained from the World Ocean Atlas 98 and CSIRO Marine and NIWA archives. It was designed to improve on the Levitus WOA98 Atlas, in the Australian region.

This dataset contains temperature data from the West Indian Ocean. Data (including available XBT data) were collected since 1778. They have been subjected to quality control as an activity of CSIRO and BoM.

Algorithms are presented for density, potential temperature, conservative temperature, and the freezing temperature of seawater. The algorithms for potential temperature and density (in terms of potential temperature) are updates to routines recently published by McDougall et al., while the algorithms involving conservative temperature and the freezing temperatures of seawater are new. The McDougall et al. algorithms were based on the thermodynamic potential of Feistel and Hagen; the algorithms in this study are all based on the "new extended Gibbs thermodynamic potential of seawater" of Feistel. The algorithm for the computation of density in terms of salinity, pressure, and conservative temperature produces errors in density and in the corresponding thermal expansion coefficient of the same order as errors for the density equation using potential temperature, both being twice as accurate as the International Equation of State when compared with Feistel's new equation of state. An inverse function relating potential temperature to conservative temperature is also provided. The difference between practical salinity and absolute salinity is discussed, and it is shown that the present practice of essentially ignoring the difference between these two different salinities is unlikely to cause significant errors in ocean models.

The CSIRO Mk3 climate system model contains a comprehensive representation of the four major components of the climate system (atmosphere, land surface, oceans and sea-ice), and in its current form is as comprehensive as any of the global coupled models available worldwide. The Mk3 model will be used to investigate the dynamical and physical processes controlling the climate system, for multiseasonal predictions, and for investigations of natural climatic variability and climatic change.

This dataset contains temperature data from the East Indian Ocean. Data (including available XBT data) were collected since 1778. They have been subjected to quality control as an activity of CSIRO and BoM.

Argo is an international collaboration that collects high-quality temperature and salinity profiles from the upper 2000m of the ice-free global ocean and currents from intermediate depths. The data comes from more than 3000 battery-powered autonomous floats that spend most of their life drifting at depth covering most of the world oceans. At typically 10-day intervals, the floats rise to the surface over about 6 hours while measuring temperature and salinity. Satellites determine the position of the floats when they surface, and receive the data transmitted by the floats. The float then returns to its original density and sinks to drift until the cycle is repeated. Floats are designed to make about 150 such cycles. Argo Australia provides real-time observations of the oceans around Australia by maintaining an array of autonomous profiling floats. Data and information regarding Argo Australia and the International Argo program can be found at the Argo Australia web page (see data link below). CMAR holds a mirror of the data from the US Argo server for internal project access, this is regularly updated. (see data link below).

This dataset contains temperature data from the Tasman Sea. Data (including available XBT data) were collected since 1778. They have been subjected to quality control as an activity of CSIRO and BoM.

INSTANT: A New International Array to Measure the Indonesian Throughflow. The INSTANT field program (International Nusantara Stratification And Transport) began in August 2003 and consists of a 3-year deployment of an array of moorings and coastal pressure gauges that will directly measure sea level and full depth in situ velocity, temperature, and salinity of the ITF. For the first time, simultaneous, multipassage, multiyear measurements will be available, and allow the magnitude and properties of the interocean transport between the Pacific and Indian Oceans to be unambiguously known. The array will also provide an unprecedented data set revealing how this complex and fascinating region responds to local and remote forcing at many timescales never before well resolved. Moorings were located at the following locations: (115 45.48, 8 26.77) (115 53.77, 8 24.56) (122 58.36, 11 31.76) (122 57.40, 11 22.19) (122 51.5, 11 16.6) (122 46.8, 11 9.67) (125 32.26, 8 32.33) (125 2.26, 8 24.04)

The QuOTA project involved NOAA-IPRC and CMAR jointly undertaking to build a very high quality ocean thermal data archive by applying methods and expertise developed through the NOAA-IPRC/CMAR IOTA (Indian Ocean Thermal Archive) collaboration which was established in 1998. The Quota Project resulted in building a high quality upper ocean temperature dataset for the Indian Ocean and the South-western Pacific (east of the dateline). QuOTA contains ocean temperature data collected since 1778 and includes XBT, CT, CU, CTD, XCDT, MBT, BT, BA, DT, SST, TE, UO, bottle, drifting and moored bouy data. Quality control of the data is done by automated processes, followed by 'hand-QC' of data that fails the automated test. This results in a data set containing very little 'bad' data and any that remains is usually subtly faulty, having little impact on most analyses.