Pacific Ocean Carbon and Chemical Profiles from 1999 Cruise

North and South Pacific Ocean data collected from the RYOFU MARU vessel between September 17 and November 9, 1999. The dataset includes discrete sample and profile observations for dissolved inorganic carbon, pH, alkalinity, nutrients, chlorofluorocarbons, and physical parameters like temperature and salinity. Data were collected by researchers from the Japan Meteorological Agency and Meteorological Research Institute as part of the PACIFICA international synthesis project.

Use Cases

• Modeling ocean carbon uptake and acidification based on dissolved inorganic carbon and pH measurements.
• Analyzing nutrient cycling in the Pacific Ocean based on nitrate, phosphate, and silicate data.
• Studying historical chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) distributions as ocean tracers based on CFC-11 and CFC-12 measurements.
• Investigating relationships between physical and biological oceanography based on chlorophyll a, temperature, and salinity profiles.

Strengths

• Data covers a specific 54-day cruise in 1999, providing a temporal snapshot.
• Includes over 20 measured variables spanning biological, chemical, and physical oceanography.
• Collected as part of the international PACIFICA project, suggesting a standardized synthesis effort.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale modeling.
• Data may reflect geographic and temporal bias inherent to a single vessel cruise in 1999.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Discrete sample and profile observations using CTD and bottle instruments.

Time Range

1999-09 17 to 1999-11-09

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-05 23:08:10.284101; freshness should be verified.

Geography

North Pacific Ocean and South Pacific Ocean