A 22-day oceanographic cruise in the South Atlantic Ocean collected discrete water sample and profile data in October 1984. The dataset includes dissolved inorganic carbon, total alkalinity, chlorofluorocarbons, nutrients, oxygen, temperature, and salinity. It was gathered by researchers from Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory aboard the R/V Thomas Washington.
Use Cases
- Calculate ocean carbon system parameters like pCO2 and pH from DISSOLVED INORGANIC CARBON (DIC) and TOTAL ALKALINITY (TA) measurements.
- Analyze nutrient stoichiometry and biological consumption using concurrent NITRATE, PHOSPHATE, and SILICATE profiles.
- Trace water mass age and circulation patterns using CHLOROFLUOROCARBON-11 (CFC-11) and CHLOROFLUOROCARBON-12 (CFC-12) as tracers.
- Study the relationship between carbon chemistry and physical oceanography using Potential temperature (theta), SALINITY, and HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE data.
- Validate or calibrate regional ocean biogeochemical models with in-situ DISSOLVED OXYGEN and WATER TEMPERATURE observations.
Strengths
- Includes 13 key chemical and physical variables for ocean carbon cycle analysis.
- Data collected over a focused 22-day cruise providing a coherent regional snapshot.
Limitations
- Single cruise from 1984, limiting temporal analysis and modern applicability.
- Unknown sample size (row count) and spatial resolution of stations.
- Lacks metadata on data quality flags, detection limits, or measurement uncertainty.
Provenance
- Source
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), originally from NODC.
- Collection Method
- Discrete water samples and continuous profiles collected using CTD and bottle instruments.
- Time Range
- 1984-10-01 to 1984-10-22
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- South Atlantic Ocean, cruise track of the R/V Thomas Washington during Marathon-7 Cruise.