NOAA Bigelow Coastal Carbon Measurements, 2011-2012

From March 2011 to August 2012, this dataset contains surface underway measurements of carbon dioxide partial pressure in the atmosphere and water, alongside sea surface temperature and salinity, collected aboard the NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow along the US East Coast. It is part of the Global Coastal Carbon Data Project, focusing on carbon cycle dynamics in coastal continental margins. The data were collected using CO2 gas analyzers and equilibrators by researchers from NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center and Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory.

Use Cases

• Calculating air-sea CO2 flux gradients based on partial pressure measurements in the North Atlantic coastal zone.
• Analyzing seasonal variability of coastal carbon parameters from the time-series cruise data.
• Validating regional ocean carbon models using in-situ measurements of sea surface temperature, salinity, and fCO2.
• Studying the role of continental margins in the global carbon cycle using underway surface data.

Strengths

• Data collected over a defined 18-month period (2011-03-01 to 2012-08-24) from dedicated research cruises.
• Includes direct measurements of key carbon cycle variables (fCO2 in air and water) using specific instruments (CO2 gas analyzer, shower head equilibrator).
• Produced by authoritative NOAA laboratories (NEFSC and AOML), supporting reliability.

Limitations

• Column names and precise data structure are not provided in the available metadata.
• Exact row count and file size are unknown, limiting assessment of dataset scale.
• Conflicting 'last updated' timestamps (2012-08-24 vs. 2026-03-05) create uncertainty about metadata maintenance.

Provenance

Source

US DOC; NOAA; NMFS; Northeast Fisheries Science Center and US DOC; NOAA; OAR; Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory

Collection Method

Surface underway observations collected during NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow cruises using carbon dioxide gas analyzers and equilibrators.

Time Range

2011-03-01 to 2012-08-24

Freshness

2026-03-05 23:40:04.237035 (most recent update from datagov, though data collection ended in 2012)

Geography

North Atlantic Ocean, US East Coast