IMOS Ships of Opportunity: Underway Ocean CO2 Measurements

Underway biogeochemical sensor data from the IMOS Ships of Opportunity program measures fugacity of carbon dioxide (fCO2), sea surface salinity, and sea surface temperature. The delayed-mode data covers critical regions of the Southern Ocean and Australian shelf waters, collected by vessels like RV Aurora Australis, RV Investigator, RV L'Astrolabe, and RV Tangaroa. The Australian Ocean Data Network manages this record, last updated on June 8, 2026.

Use Cases

• Modeling ocean carbon uptake based on fCO2 measurements.
• Analyzing sea surface temperature and salinity trends in the Southern Ocean.
• Studying climate change sensitivity in regions of high biogeochemical cycling.
• Comparing CO2 data across different vessel routes and research programs.

Strengths

• Focuses on critical regions for ocean CO2 uptake, specifically the Southern Ocean and Australian shelf waters.
• Data is collected by multiple research vessels covering distinct geographic routes.
• Includes key biogeochemical variables: fugacity of carbon dioxide (fCO2), sea surface salinity (SSS), and sea surface temperature (SST).

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is presented in delayed mode, which may not represent real-time conditions.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Automated underway sensor systems on research vessels.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-08 23:57:29.325004; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Southern Ocean, Australian shelf waters, oceans adjacent to New Zealand, route from Tasmania to Antarctica.