NODC Accession 0115174 includes chemical, discrete sample, physical and profile data collected from the THOMAS WASHINGTON research vessel during cruise WOCE_P16C. Charles D. Keeling, Peter Guenther, and Catherine Goyet collected measurements of dissolved inorganic carbon, alkalinity, chlorofluorocarbons, isotopes, and other variables in the North and South Pacific Ocean from 1991-08-31 to 1991-10-01. The data were part of the World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE), a major component of the World Climate Research Program.
Use Cases
- Modeling ocean carbon uptake based on dissolved inorganic carbon and alkalinity measurements.
- Analyzing chlorofluorocarbon (CFC-11, CFC-12) distribution for tracing ocean circulation patterns.
- Studying isotopic ratios (Delta Carbon-13, Delta Carbon-14, Delta Helium-3, Tritium) for biogeochemical and water mass age analysis.
- Investigating nutrient cycles based on nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, and silicate data.
- Calibrating ocean models using concurrent measurements of temperature, salinity, and hydrostatic pressure.
Strengths
- Data includes 18 distinct chemical, physical, and isotopic variables, such as dissolved inorganic carbon, CFCs, and stable isotopes.
- Data collection is tied to a specific, well-documented scientific cruise (WOCE_P16C) and research vessel (THOMAS WASHINGTON).
- The dataset is part of the larger WOCE program, which covered approximately 23,000 stations from 94 cruises between 1990 and 1998.
Limitations
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- Last updated 1991-10-01; freshness should be verified.
- Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
Provenance
- Source
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography; University of Perpignan via Domitia; Institute of Modeling and Analysis of Geo-Environment and Health
- Collection Method
- Data collected using CTD and bottle instruments from discrete sample and profile observations.
- Time Range
- 1991-08-31 to 1991-10-01
- Geography
- North Pacific Ocean and South Pacific Ocean