WOCE P16C: Ocean Carbon and Hydrographic Measurements from the Pacific, 1991

WOCE_P16C data includes 18 variables such as dissolved inorganic carbon, alkalinity, chlorofluorocarbons, and isotopes collected from the THOMAS WASHINGTON research vessel. The cruise occurred in the North and South Pacific Ocean from August 31 to October 1, 1991, using CTD and bottle instruments. Data were collected by researchers from SIO and the University of Perpignan as part of the World Ocean Circulation Experiment, which aimed to understand the ocean's role in climate.

Use Cases

• Modeling ocean carbon uptake and acidification based on dissolved inorganic carbon and alkalinity measurements.
• Studying deep water circulation and ventilation timescales based on chlorofluorocarbon (CFC-11, CFC-12) and tritium data.
• Calibrating or validating climate models based on comprehensive hydrographic profiles including temperature, salinity, and nutrients.
• Investigating biological productivity and nutrient cycles based on nitrate, phosphate, and silicate concentrations.

Strengths

• Includes 18 key chemical and physical variables relevant for climate and carbon cycle research.
• Data is part of the large-scale WOCE program, which covered approximately 23,000 stations from 94 cruises globally.
• Specific collection dates (1991-08 31 to 1991-10-01) and vessel (THOMAS WASHINGTON) are documented.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for specific modeling tasks.
• Data is from a single cruise in 1991, limiting temporal analysis without integration with other datasets.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Discrete sample and profile observations using CTD and bottle instruments.

Time Range

1991-08-31 to 1991-10-01

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-05 23:12:43.717643; freshness should be verified.

Geography

North Pacific Ocean and South Pacific Ocean