Peru Ocean Nitrogen Transformations and Productivity Measurements

Peru's coastal ocean is the focus of this dataset from a 1985 research cruise investigating microbial nitrogen pathways within oxygen-deficient water masses. The project, funded by the National Science Foundation and conducted by NOAA NCEI, collected data on primary productivity, chlorophyll, and optical water characteristics. Fieldwork occurred from February 1 to March 5, 1985, with a cruise track designed to locate specific conditions for hypothesis testing.

Use Cases

• Modeling relationships between oxygen concentration (O2 < 0.05 ml/l) and nitrite maxima using station data.
• Analyzing correlations between optical water characteristics and chlorophyll or primary productivity measurements.
• Mapping the spatial distribution of nitrogen transformation pathways across the cruise's multi-cast station track.
• Studying temporal changes in microbial activity from samples collected during the month-long expedition.

Strengths

• Data originates from a dedicated, hypothesis-driven NSF-funded research cruise.
• Includes multi-faceted measurements: nitrogen pathways, optical characteristics, primary productivity, and chlorophyll.

Limitations

• Dataset is from a single cruise in 1985, offering only a temporal snapshot.
• Specific row count, column names, and sample sizes are unknown.
• Geographic scope is limited to the specific cruise track off the coast of Peru.

Provenance

Source

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Accession 9200026.

Collection Method

Ship-based sampling and measurements during the NITROP-85 research cruise, involving water casts and experiments.

Time Range

1985-02-01 to 1985-03-05

Freshness

Data collection ended on 1985-03-05; no updates are expected.

Geography

Coastal ocean within the Oxygen Minimum Zone off Peru.