Southern Ocean Carbon Dioxide Fugacity from Aurora Australis Voyages

Southern Ocean, South Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, and Tasman Sea surface underway data from the R/V Aurora Australis includes measurements of air-sea carbon dioxide partial pressure difference, barometric pressure, sea surface temperature, salinity, and wind. The data were collected by researchers from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) using barometric pressure sensors and CO2 gas analyzers. It spans multiple voyages from 2006 to 2016, with the most detailed records covering 2014-2016.

Use Cases

• Calculating air-sea CO2 flux based on partial pressure differences.
• Analyzing seasonal or interannual variability of surface ocean carbon parameters.
• Validating regional ocean carbon cycle models with in-situ pCO2 measurements.
• Correlating surface wind speed and direction with gas exchange rates.
• Studying the relationship between sea surface temperature and carbon dioxide fugacity.

Strengths

• Data collection spans at least a decade, from 2006 to 2016, providing a multi-year time series.
• Covers a broad geographic scope including the Southern Ocean (>60 degrees South), Indian Ocean, South Pacific Ocean, and Tasman Sea.
• Data is associated with specific, documented research cruises (e.g., 09AR20150128).

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, file size, specific column names, and license are not provided by any source.
• Sources provide conflicting 'last updated' dates (e.g., 2016-01-06 vs. 2026-03-05), creating uncertainty about data currency.
• The dataset description is repeated across platforms with sparse technical documentation.

Provenance

Source

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) researchers Bronte Tilbrook, Craig Neill, and John Akl.

Collection Method

Surface underway observations collected from the R/V Aurora Australis using barometric pressure sensors and carbon dioxide gas analyzers.

Time Range

2006-01-02 to 2016-01-06

Freshness

Most recent update reported is 2026-03-05 on datagov, but another source lists 2016-01-06.

Geography

Indian Ocean, South Pacific Ocean, Southern Oceans (> 60 degrees South), Tasman Sea