CARINA: Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry Profile Data

NODC Accession 0113533 contains chemical, physical, and profile data from the CARINA project's 1990 cruise of the R/V DISCOVERY in the North Atlantic Ocean. The dataset includes measurements of dissolved inorganic carbon, oxygen, nutrients, and carbon dioxide partial pressure, collected using CTD and bottle instruments. CARINA is an international synthesis project producing internally consistent subsurface data for biogeochemical investigations across the Atlantic, Arctic, and Southern Oceans.

Use Cases

• Calibrating ocean carbon models using discrete measurements of dissolved inorganic carbon and pCO2.
• Investigating nutrient (nitrate, phosphate, silicate) distributions and their relationship to hydrographic properties like salinity and potential temperature.
• Assessing ocean acidification trends by analyzing pH measurements alongside carbon system parameters.
• Studying water mass ventilation and biogeochemical cycles using profile data of dissolved oxygen and hydrostatic pressure.

Strengths

• Data is part of the CARINA international synthesis project, which produced a merged, internally consistent dataset.
• Includes a specific suite of 12 key biogeochemical variables measured during a dedicated research cruise.
• Cross-platform presence (Data.gov and NASA EarthData) signals recognized importance and curation.

Limitations

• Critical metadata is missing: row count, column names, file size, and specific license are not provided.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates exist between sources (1990-04-29 vs. 2026 03-05), creating uncertainty about metadata maintenance.
• The dataset's scale is limited to a single 5-day cruise in 1990.

Provenance

Source

Andrew Watson of Plymouth Marine Laboratory, collected during cruise CARINA/74DI19900425.

Collection Method

Discrete sample and profile observations using CTD and bottle instruments.

Time Range

1990-04-25 to 1990-04-29

Freshness

2026-03 05 23:28:19.300046 (most recent update from Data.gov)

Geography

North Atlantic Ocean (collected); part of a project covering the entire Atlantic, Arctic, and Southern Oceans.