CARINA Irminger Sea Time Series: Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry

NCEI Accession 0149098 provides a 30-year time series of ocean biogeochemical measurements from the North Atlantic Irminger Sea, collected from 1983 to 2013. This dataset is part of the international CARINA synthesis project, producing an internally consistent, merged data set for carbon system investigations. Measurements include dissolved inorganic carbon, oxygen, nutrients, and the partial pressure of carbon dioxide, collected via CTD casts and bottle samples from two Icelandic research vessels.

Use Cases

• Analyzing long-term trends in ocean carbon dioxide partial pressure (pCO2) for climate change studies.
• Investigating the relationship between dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and nutrient cycles (nitrate, phosphate, silicate).
• Calibrating and validating ocean carbon cycle models using profile data from CTD and bottle measurements.
• Studying water mass properties and circulation using concurrent temperature, salinity, and oxygen data.

Strengths

• Covers a 30-year time range from 1983-03-05 to 2013-11-13, enabling long-term trend analysis.
• Part of the CARINA international synthesis project, ensuring internally consistent, merged data quality.
• Includes multiple key biogeochemical variables (DIC, pCO2, nutrients, oxygen) measured concurrently.

Limitations

• Column names and exact row counts are not provided in any source, limiting immediate usability.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates (2013-11-13 vs. 2026-03-06) create uncertainty about metadata maintenance.
• Data collection method is described but specific instrument models and quality flags are not detailed.

Provenance

Source

J. Olafsson of the Icelandic Marine Research Institute, collected from vessels ARNI FRIDRIKSSON and BJARNI SAEMUNDSSON.

Collection Method

Discrete sample and profile observations using CTD and bottle instruments.

Time Range

1983-03-05 to 2013-11-13

Freshness

2026-03-06 00:11:23.104154 (from datagov, though this may reflect metadata update, not data collection)

Geography

North Atlantic Ocean, specifically the Irminger Sea.