WOCE P18 Cruise: Ocean Carbon and CFC Measurements

NCEI Accession 0115152 contains chemical and physical oceanographic data from the WOCE_P18 cruise aboard NOAA Ship DISCOVERER from January to April 1994. The dataset includes discrete sample and profile measurements of dissolved inorganic carbon, chlorofluorocarbons (CFC-11, CFC-12, CFC-113), carbon isotopes, nutrients, and hydrographic parameters collected using CTD and bottle instruments across the North Pacific, South Pacific, and Southern Oceans. These data were collected by researchers from NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory as part of the World Ocean Circulation Experiment, which aimed to understand the ocean's role in climate.

Use Cases

• Calibrating ocean carbon cycle models based on dissolved inorganic carbon and alkalinity measurements.
• Tracing ocean ventilation and water mass age using chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) and tritium-helium isotope data.
• Assessing ocean acidification drivers from concurrent pH, carbon dioxide partial pressure, and total alkalinity observations.
• Studying biogeochemical nutrient cycles from nitrate, phosphate, and silicate profiles.
• Validating hydrographic models with high-quality CTD profiles of salinity, temperature, and dissolved oxygen.

Strengths

• Contains a specific and coherent set of 23 chemical and physical variables from a single research cruise.
• Data collection is part of the authoritative World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) program, covering approximately 23,000 stations from 94 cruises.
• Provides direct measurements of key climate-relevant tracers, including multiple CFC species and carbon isotopes.

Limitations

• Key metadata is missing or conflicting: row count, column names, and exact license are not provided by any source.
• The dataset's temporal scope is limited to a single three-month cruise in 1994.
• Platforms show conflicting 'last updated' dates (1994-04-27 vs. 2026-03-05), creating uncertainty about metadata maintenance.

Provenance

Source

Richard A. Feely and John L. Bullister of NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL).

Collection Method

Discrete sample and profile observations collected using CTD and bottle instruments.

Time Range

1994-01-26 to 1994-04-27

Freshness

2026-03-05 22:38:12.459374

Geography

North Pacific Ocean, South Pacific Ocean, and Southern Oceans (> 60 degrees South)