SOOP M/V Celebrity Equinox: Surface Ocean CO2 Measurements, 2018

Surface underway measurements from the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and North Atlantic Ocean in 2018 document the ocean-atmosphere exchange of carbon dioxide. The dataset includes mole fractions of CO2 in air and seawater, fugacity calculations, sea surface temperature, and salinity. Data were collected aboard the Ships of Opportunity (SOOP) vessel M/V Celebrity Equinox.

Use Cases

• Calculating air-sea CO2 flux based on fugacity difference (ΔfCO2) measurements.
• Analyzing spatial patterns of ocean acidification drivers using sea surface temperature and salinity data.
• Validating regional carbon cycle models with in-situ surface underway pCO2 observations.
• Studying seasonal or event-driven variability in marine carbonate chemistry from time-series cruise data.

Strengths

• Provides direct, in-situ measurements of critical carbon cycle variables like fCO2 in seawater and air.
• Covers a specific, well-defined geographic region and time period (Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, North Atlantic in 2018).
• Dataset is hosted by authoritative sources (NOAA NCEI) and appears on multiple platforms, indicating curation and importance.

Limitations

• Critical metadata is missing or conflicting: row count, file size, and specific column names are unknown.
• Update dates conflict between sources (2018 vs. 2026), creating uncertainty about data versioning or modifications.
• Documentation gaps exist, as the license and detailed data collection methodology are not provided.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Surface underway observations collected via Ships of Opportunity (SOOP) program aboard M/V Celebrity Equinox.

Time Range

2018

Freshness

2026-03-05 (from datagov, though this conflicts with the 2018 date from nasa_earthdata)

Geography

Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, North Atlantic Ocean