Sea-Air Methane and CO2 Flux Data from the West Spitsbergen Margin, June 2014

A critical question for assessing global greenhouse gas budgets is how much methane from seafloor cold seeps reaches the atmosphere. This dataset from the U.S. Geological Survey records 30-second-gridded methane and carbon dioxide concentrations in near-surface seawater and the atmospheric marine boundary layer, along with isotopic composition and environmental parameters from the West Spitsbergen margin in June 2014. The results of calculations required to determine the sea-air flux of methane and carbon dioxide are also provided.

Use Cases

• Modeling sea-air flux of methane and carbon dioxide based on the provided concentration and environmental data.
• Studying the carbon-13 isotopic composition of greenhouse gases in Arctic near-surface waters.
• Analyzing correlations between environmental parameters like wind speed, salinity, and temperature with gas concentrations.
• Assessing the potential for methane release from gas hydrates in warming Arctic Ocean waters.

Strengths

• Data is gridded at a high temporal resolution of 30 seconds.
• Includes multiple related data types: gas concentrations, isotopic composition, and key environmental parameters.
• Provides calculated sea-air flux results, adding derived value.
• Collected by authoritative institutions including the U.S. Geological Survey, University of Tromso, and GEOMAR.

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

U.S. Geological Survey Coastal and Marine Geology Program Field Activity 2014-013-FA, in conjunction with the University of Tromso and GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel.

Collection Method

Collected on the R/V Helmer Hanssen during a field campaign.

Time Range

June 2014

Geography

West Spitsbergen margin, Arctic Ocean