Quantitative Quality Control (QC) procedures for the Australian National reference stations: Sensor data

The National Reference Station (NRS) network, part of Australia´s Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS), is designed to provide the baseline multi decadal time series required to understand how large-scale, long-term change and variability in the global ocean are affecting Australia´s coastal ocean ecosystems. High temporal resolution observations of core variables are taken across the network using a standard instrument, the Wetlabs Water Quality Monitors (WQMs). These data are freely available to the scientific community and the general public and thus need to be controlled by means of a system that will ensure their consistency and fitness-for-use. This document provides insights into the Quality Control (QC) guidelines proposed for these data, towards a system that incorporates uncertainty into the standard qualitative flag system, making it quantitative.