Pacific Ocean Carbon and Hydrographic Profiles from 2002-2003 Cruises

NCEI Accession 0108077 contains discrete profile chemical and physical data from the MP-5, MP-6, and MP-9 cruises in the North Pacific Ocean. The dataset includes measurements of total alkalinity, dissolved inorganic carbon, salinity, and temperature collected from three research vessels between July 2002 and August 2003. These data were collected by Patricia L. Yager of the University of Georgia as part of the MANTRA/PIRANA (MP) project.

Use Cases

• Calculate seawater pH and pCO2 from the measured total alkalinity and dissolved inorganic carbon columns.
• Analyze the relationship between temperature, salinity, and carbon chemistry parameters across different Pacific Ocean profiles.
• Validate regional ocean carbon cycle models using discrete measurements of alkalinity and dissolved inorganic carbon from the 2002-2003 period.
• Study spatial and temporal variability in hydrographic conditions (salinity, temperature) during the MP cruise series.

Strengths

• Data covers a specific time range from 2002-07-01 to 2003-08-21.
• Includes key carbon system variables: total alkalinity and dissolved inorganic carbon.
• Data collected from three separate research vessel cruises (MP-5, MP-6, MP-9).

Limitations

• Sample size (row count) and specific geographic coordinates are unknown.
• Data is temporally limited to a ~14-month period in 2002-2003.
• The absence of column details limits precise understanding of data structure and ancillary variables.

Provenance

Source

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), originally from NODC Accession 0108077.

Collection Method

Discrete profile data collected from R/V Ka'imikai-O-Kanaloa, R/V Kilo Moana, and R/V Roger Revelle using alkalinity titrators, CTDs, and coulometers.

Time Range

2002-07-01 to 2003-08-21

Freshness

Data collection ended on 2003-08-21; it is a static historical dataset.

Geography

North Pacific Ocean, specific to the MP-5, MP-6, and MP-9 cruise tracks.