Tech Tips

Tech Tip: Julian Days Format

Posted on 06.01.2020

Julian Days Julian Days” is a numerical timestamp format, calculated by Sea-Bird Scientific CTDs as the number of the days since Jan 1 of that year (e.g., noon on Feb 3 = 34.5). While this format is useful, it is usually more convenient to display data in a visual format such as “2020-02-03 12:00:00". Learn how to convert Julian Days to standard formats using tools like SBEDataProcessing, Excel, and Matlab. Exporting “Time, Elapsed: Julian Days” from CTD data provides a count of days since Midnight on Jan 1 of that year, as referenced to the CTD’s timestamp. Some examples:

  • Midnight on January 1st: timeJ = 1​
  • Midnight on January 2nd: timeJ = 2​
  • Midnight on February 1st: timeJ = 32​
  • Noon on February 1st: timeJ = 32.5​​
To convert to a standard time format with a deployment starting in 2020​
  • Sea-Bird Data Processing: Use Time conversion in ASCII out​
  • In Excel: 1/1/2020+timeJ-1​
  • In matlab: datenum(2020, 1, 1)-1+timeJ​
  • In Python: d = datetime.date(dyear, 1, 1) + datetime.timedelta(yday - 1)​
  • In R: time1 <- ISOdatetime(year, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, tz='UTC') + (jday - 1)*86400​
However, beware that the timeJ is referenced against the timezone of the instrument which can either be local or UTC​ # start_time = Feb 25 2019 12:00:01 [Instrument's time stamp, first data scan]​
Calibrating ISFET pH Sensors
Tech Tips
10.19.21
Calibrating ISFET pH Sensors
Learn how we’ve adapted our calibration facility to account for conditions ISFET pH sensors meet in the wild to achieve long-term stability.
Learn More
Sea-Bird 101: Conductivity Cells
Tech Tips
08.13.21
Sea-Bird 101: Conductivity Cells
Inductive modem systems are surprisingly simple. Learn how easy it is to test and simulate an inductive modem mooring.
Learn More
5 Inductive Modem Configurations
Tech Tips
06.16.21
5 Inductive Modem Configurations
IM systems eliminate the need for connectors entirely, transforming a mooring's tether into a medium for real-time data transmission.
Learn More
Get in touch

Contact our team

Ready to take the next step? Connect with Sea-Bird Scientific’s team for personalized guidance, support, or to request a quote for our solutions.