Malizia Ocean Challenge: North Atlantic Surface Carbon and Salinity

North Atlantic Ocean surface underway measurements from the racing sailing vessel Malizia during its 2018 Ocean Challenge cruises. The dataset includes partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2), sea surface salinity, sea surface temperature, and barometric pressure, collected via a CO2 gas analyzer and equilibrator. These observations contribute to the Ship of Opportunity Program (SOOP) and the Ocean Carbon and Acidification Data System (OCADS).

Use Cases

• Calculating air-sea CO2 flux based on partial pressure of carbon dioxide and barometric pressure.
• Analyzing correlations between sea surface temperature and carbon dioxide concentrations.
• Mapping spatial and temporal variability of surface salinity in the North Atlantic.
• Validating satellite-derived sea surface temperature (SST) products with in-situ measurements.
• Studying ocean acidification trends using high-frequency pCO2 data from a mobile platform.

Strengths

• Data collected via specialized instruments including a carbon dioxide gas analyzer and shower head chamber equilibrator.
• Covers a specific, multi-month time range from 2018-08-14 to 2018-11-28.
• Hosted by authoritative organizations (NOAA, NCEI) and part of established programs (SOOP, OCADS).
• Cross-platform presence (Data.gov, NASA Earthdata) indicates recognized importance and curation.

Limitations

• Column names and data structure are not provided in any source, limiting immediate usability.
• Exact row count, file size, and specific license terms are unknown.
• Sources disagree on the 'last updated' metadata (2018-11-28 vs. 2026-03-05).

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce, via NCEI.

Collection Method

Surface underway observations collected from the racing sailing vessel Malizia using autonomous instruments.

Time Range

2018-08-14 to 2018-11-28

Freshness

2026-03-05 22:28:22.015265

Geography

North Atlantic Ocean (specific mentions include Bay of Biscay, English Channel, Return Guadalupe, Transfer Bretagne)