Pacific Ocean Carbon and Chemistry Profiles from Cruise PACIFICA_49RY20041021

Discrete sample and profile data for dissolved inorganic carbon, alkalinity, pH, and related chemical and physical variables were collected from the Ryofu Maru II research vessel in the East China Sea, North Pacific Ocean, and Philippine Sea. The data span from October 21 to November 9, 2004, and were collected by researchers from the Japan Meteorological Agency and Meteorological Research Institute as part of the PACIFICA project. Measurements include dissolved oxygen, nutrients, chlorophyll a, CFCs, and water properties from instruments like CTD and a Coulometer.

Use Cases

• Modeling ocean acidification trends based on pH and alkalinity measurements.
• Studying marine primary productivity based on chlorophyll a and nutrient data.
• Analyzing water mass ventilation and circulation using CFC-11 and CFC-12 tracer data.
• Investigating the marine carbon pump based on dissolved inorganic and organic carbon concentrations.

Strengths

• Data covers 20 distinct chemical, biological, and physical parameters, including key carbon system variables.
• Collection was part of the international PACIFICA project, suggesting standardized protocols.
• Specific time range (2004-10 21 to 2004-11-09) and geographic regions (East China Sea, North Pacific, Philippine Sea) are documented.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and file size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is from a single cruise in 2004, limiting temporal scope for trend analysis.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Data collected from discrete sample and profile observations using CTD, Coulometer for DIC measurement, and bottle instruments.

Time Range

2004-10-21 to 2004-11-09

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-05 22:41:05.908026; freshness should be verified.

Geography

East China Sea (Tung Hai), North Pacific Ocean, Philippine Sea