North Sea Methane and Ammonium Measurements from 1989 Challenger Cruise

138 methane concentration and 137 methane saturation measurements were collected alongside 35 ammonium concentration samples during the Challenger 50 research cruise. Scientists David Hydes and Mary Scranton gathered this data for the North Sea Project. The cruise operated from April 13 to April 24, 1989.

Use Cases

• Analyze spatial correlation between methane concentration and methane saturation using the 137 paired measurements.
• Model ammonium distribution from the 35 concentration samples against known North Sea bathymetry and circulation patterns.
• Calculate methane supersaturation levels in the water column using the provided concentration and saturation data fields.
• Investigate short-term temporal variability of oceanic methane during the 12-day cruise period in April 1989.

Strengths

• 310 total chemical measurements from a defined 12-day research cruise.
• Precise spatial bounding box defined between +52N to +54N latitude and +1E to +4E longitude.

Limitations

• Small sample size for ammonium, with only 35 measurements.
• Data is from a single cruise in April 1989, limiting seasonal or long-term analysis.
• No column-level metadata or raw data samples are provided for review.

Provenance

Source

SCIOPS organization, via NASA Earthdata.

Collection Method

Measurements made by gas chromatography (methane) and colorimetric autoanalysis (ammonium) from water column samples.

Time Range

1989-04-13 to 1989-04-24

Freshness

Data collection ended on 1989-04-24; no updates indicated.

Geography

North Sea, bounded by +52N to +54N latitude and +1E to +4E longitude.