USGS Florida Shelf: Surface Carbon Measurements from Weatherbird II

Coastal waters of Florida and the Gulf of Mexico were monitored from 2008-08-11 to 2011-06-30 aboard the R/V Weatherbird II. The dataset contains surface underway measurements of key ocean carbon chemistry variables, including dissolved inorganic carbon, partial pressure of carbon dioxide in air and water, pH, total alkalinity, salinity, and sea surface temperature. Data were collected using a carbon dioxide gas analyzer and a shower head chamber equilibrator.

Use Cases

• Calculating air-sea CO2 flux based on partial pressure measurements in air and water.
• Assessing ocean acidification trends using pH, dissolved inorganic carbon, and total alkalinity data.
• Modeling coastal carbon budgets for the Gulf of Mexico using time-series measurements.
• Calibrating satellite-derived sea surface temperature and salinity products with in-situ observations.

Strengths

• Covers a multi-year time series from 2008 to 2011, enabling temporal analysis.
• Includes a specific suite of co-located variables essential for carbon system calculations.
• Data collection is attributed to specific principal investigators (Kira E. Barrera, Lisa L. Robbins) and a recognized institution (USGS).

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable across all sources.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates (2011-06-30 vs. 2026-03-05) suggest potential metadata inconsistency.
• Documentation gaps exist regarding data processing methods and quality flags.

Provenance

Source

US DOI; US Geological Survey (USGS)

Collection Method

Surface underway observations from R/V Weatherbird II using a CO2 gas analyzer and shower head chamber equilibrator.

Time Range

2008-08-11 to 2011-06-30

Freshness

2026-03-05 23:18:09.139717

Geography

Coastal Waters of Florida and Gulf of Mexico