South Atlantic Ocean Carbon Chemistry Measurements from 1983-1984 AJAX Expedition

Chemical, physical, and profile data from the Atlantic Long Lines (AJAX) Expeditions in the North Atlantic, South Atlantic, and Southern Oceans from October 1983 to February 1984. The dataset includes measurements of dissolved inorganic carbon, total alkalinity, chlorofluorocarbons, nutrients, and other variables. It was collected by Taro Takahashi of Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory using CTD, Coulometer, and bottle instruments.

Use Cases

• Analyze correlations between DISSOLVED INORGANIC CARBON (DIC) and WATER TEMPERATURE or SALINITY to model carbon system dynamics.
• Study ocean ventilation rates using time-series of CHLOROFLUOROCARBON-11 (CFC-11) and CHLOROFLUOROCARBON-12 (CFC-12) measurements.
• Calculate ocean acidification parameters like aragonite saturation state from TOTAL ALKALINITY (TA) and DIC columns.
• Investigate nutrient cycles by modeling NITRATE, phosphate, and silicate distributions against DISSOLVED OXYGEN and Potential temperature (theta).
• Map the partial pressure of carbon dioxide in surface waters to estimate historical air-sea CO2 flux in the Southern Oceans.

Strengths

• Data collected during a dedicated multi-month oceanographic expedition (AJAX_1983) with standardized instruments.
• Includes multiple core variables for carbon cycle studies (DIC, TA, CFCs, nutrients, oxygen).
• Associated with the broader World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) framework, which covered approximately 23,000 stations.

Limitations

• Dataset is from a single expedition in 1983-1984, providing only a historical snapshot.
• Specific row count, column count, and spatial resolution for this subset are unknown.
• Temporal coverage is limited to a 4.5-month period, not suitable for long-term trend analysis.

Provenance

Source

Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO), collected by Taro Takahashi as part of the AJAX_1983 Expedition.

Collection Method

Discrete water samples and profiles collected via CTD, Coulometer for DIC, and flasks for CO2 from the R/V Knorr.

Time Range

1983-10-07 to 1984-02-19

Freshness

null

Geography

North Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic Ocean, Southern Oceans (south of 60 degrees South), including the Weddell Sea.