Method

PANGAEA works in compliance with international metadata standards. For this purpose, we link each event and individual parameter in the data tables with the corresponding method used to measure or calculate them. Methods are either instruments or procedures describing a specific method.

Syntax (since January 2023)

Example of method metadata associated with the Event and Parameters of a PANGAEA dataset

1. Instruments

NOTE: ALWAYS provide the primary instrument with which the specific parameter was measured, by following the below syntax.

Instrument type, Manufacturer, Model name [Further information 1, Further information 2 etc.]

Further information are optional and will only be added if essential

Examples:

CTD, Sea-Bird, SBE 911plus

Carbon and nitrogen and sulfur (CNS) analyzer, Elementar, Vario MAX

Multiparametric probe, YSI, 600QS [Calibrated with 1413 µS/cm standard]

Multiple opening/closing net [Meshsize: 100 µm]

Pyranometer, Kipp & Zonen, CM22 [SN: 040087, WRMC No.: 12029]

2. Methods

NOTE: ONLY if instrument is not applicable, provide the method used to measure the parameter, by following the below syntax.

Method type according to reference et al. (YYYY) [Further information 1, Further information 2 etc.]

Further informations are optional and will only be added if essential

Examples:

Age model according to Bruel and Sabatier (2020)

Calculation according to Wang et al. (2021)

Correction according to Belanger et al. (2017)

Counting [375-400 µm fraction]

The following alternatives for delimiters can be chosen

according to if method is identical - Example: Calculated according to Broecker (1974)

modified after if method was modified - Example: Sanger Sequencing modified after Sanger et al. (1977)

Please provide the DOI for each reference cited.

3. Combination of multiple instruments/methods

NOTE: Use the “;” separator and the following linking phrases to combine several methods

 ; measured with - Example: CTD, Sea-Bird, SBE 911plus; measured with Dissolved oxygen sensor, Sea-Bird, SBE 43

 ; coupled with - Example: Isotope ratio mass spectrometer (IRMS), Thermo Scientific, Delta plus XP; coupled with Elemental Analyzer, CE Instruments, NA 1110

 ; Other device/method - Example: e.g. Sanger Sequencing modified after Sanger et al. (1977); PacBio Sequencing according to Rhoads and Au (2015)

 ; followed by - Example: Solid phase extraction (SPE) according to Meyer et al. (2016); followed by High temperature catalytic oxidation (HTCO) according to Smith et al. (2017))

 ; mounted on - Example: Multibeam echosounder, Kongsberg Maritime, EM 2040; mounted on Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV), Kongsberg, Hugin Superior

Important syntax rules

1. Provide instrument models as they are written on the instrument label or, if not accessible, appear on the manufacturer’s webpage or manual.
2. Provide the manufacturers’ names as they are labelled on the instrument, i.e. if the company has been sold/renamed later on, don’t use the most recent name, but instead the name as on your instrument`s label at the time of purchase, use name of subsidiary companies.
3. No abbreviations unless they come in parentheses within/after the spelled-out device type/method name.
4. Language: American English

Annotation with external terminologies

In order to improve the semantic annotation of our metadata, we will gradually annotate more and more of our methods with external terminologies

See also

• Data model

Method list

• Complete list of methods used in PANGAEA