Salish Sea Ocean Acidification Cruise Data from R/V Thomas G. Thompson, October 2011

NOAA's dataset from cruise TN270 contains discrete profile measurements of dissolved inorganic carbon, total alkalinity, temperature, salinity, oxygen, and nutrients collected in the Salish Sea and adjoining coastal waters from 2011-10-08 to 2011-10 14. Forty-seven time-series stations were occupied aboard the R/V Thomas G. Thompson to obtain a synoptic snapshot of key parameters related to ocean acidification in Washington's estuarine and coastal environments. This effort was conducted by the University of Washington's PRISM program in support of the Global Ocean Acidification Observing Network guidelines.

Use Cases

• Modeling ocean acidification impacts based on dissolved inorganic carbon and total alkalinity measurements.
• Analyzing vertical water column structure based on CTD casts measuring temperature, conductivity, pressure, and oxygen.
• Studying nutrient cycling in coastal environments based on discrete water sample analyses for nitrate, nitrite, and ammonium.
• Conducting spatial analysis of biogeochemical parameters across the Salish Sea based on data from 47 stations.

Strengths

• Data conforms to climate-quality monitoring guidelines of the Global Ocean Acidification Observing Network.
• Includes measurements from 47 time-series stations providing spatial coverage of the Salish Sea.
• Combines discrete laboratory analyses (DIC, TA, nutrients) with continuous sensor data (CTD, oxygen).

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is from a single cruise in October 2011, representing a synoptic snapshot rather than a long-term time series.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Discrete water samples collected via Niskin bottles and analyzed in laboratory, combined with CTD and oxygen sensor casts.

Time Range

2011-10-08 to 2011-10-14

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-05 23:11:46.309395; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Salish Sea and adjoining coastal waters in Washington State marine waters.