North Atlantic Ocean Carbon and Hydrographic Survey from 1997

Chemical and physical oceanographic data were collected during the R/V Meteor cruise along WOCE Section A02b in the North Atlantic Ocean. The dataset includes measurements for dissolved inorganic carbon, total alkalinity, chlorofluorocarbons, nutrients, and other parameters. Data were gathered by researchers from Universitat Kiel as part of the World Ocean Circulation Experiment from June 11 to July 3, 1997.

Use Cases

• Estimate ocean carbon uptake by analyzing DISSOLVED INORGANIC CARBON and ALKALINITY measurements across the cruise transect.
• Study deep ocean ventilation and water mass age using tracer data like DELTA HELIUM-3, Tritium, and CHLOROFLUOROCARBON concentrations.
• Model nutrient cycles and primary production by correlating NITRATE, PHOSPHATE, and SILICATE levels with physical parameters like SALINITY and WATER TEMPERATURE.
• Investigate water column structure and ocean circulation by profiling HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE, Potential temperature (theta), and DISSOLVED OXYGEN.

Strengths

• Includes 18 distinct chemical and physical parameters per sampling station.
• Data collected as part of the coordinated World Ocean Circulation Experiment, ensuring standardized methods.
• Temporal coverage is precisely documented for the cruise from 1997-06-11 to 1997-07-03.

Limitations

• Sample size is limited to a single cruise transect over 23 days, providing a spatial snapshot rather than long-term time series.
• Data is from 1997, representing oceanic conditions from that period and may not reflect current states.
• Specific row counts, file sizes, and data completeness metrics for this accession are not provided.

Provenance

Source

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Accession 0115159, originally from Universitat Kiel.

Collection Method

Data gathered from CTD and bottle samples during the R/V Meteor cruise WOCE_A02b.

Time Range

1997-06-11 to 1997-07-03

Freshness

Data collection ended on 1997-07-03; it is a historical dataset.

Geography

North Atlantic Ocean along WOCE Section A02b, with broader collection also noted in the Arabian Sea, Arctic Ocean, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Guinea, and Indian Ocean.