EQ92_SPRING: Pacific Ocean Carbon and Hydrographic Profiles

NCEI Accession 0117498 contains discrete water sample and profile measurements from the NOAA Ship MALCOLM BALDRIGE's 1992 spring cruise across the North and South Pacific. The data include key ocean carbon system variables like dissolved inorganic carbon, alkalinity, and pCO2, alongside nutrients, chlorophyll, and standard hydrographic parameters. These measurements support research into ocean acidification, carbon cycling, and biogeochemical processes.

Use Cases

• Calibrating ocean carbon models based on discrete DIC and alkalinity measurements.
• Analyzing spatial gradients in nutrient concentrations (nitrate, phosphate, silicate) across Pacific basins.
• Investigating ocean acidification trends using historical pH and pCO2 data.
• Validating satellite-derived chlorophyll-a estimates with in-situ water sample data.
• Studying water mass properties and circulation using CTD-derived temperature, salinity, and potential temperature profiles.

Strengths

• Includes a wide range of co-located biogeochemical and physical measurements from a single research cruise.
• Data collection employed multiple specialized instruments, including an alkalinity titrator, CTD, and coulometer, suggesting rigorous methodology.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable across all sources.
• Conflicting last-updated dates (1992-05-19 vs. 2026-03-06) create uncertainty about data currency and potential reprocessing.

Provenance

Source

Rik Wanninkhof (NOAA AOML) and Richard A. Feely (NOAA PMEL)

Collection Method

Discrete sample and profile observations using alkalinity titrator, CTD, coulometer, flask, bottle, and spectrophotometer.

Time Range

1992-02-24 to 1992-05-19

Freshness

2026-03-06 00:19:59.087281

Geography

North Pacific Ocean and South Pacific Ocean