NCEI 0157455: Ocean Carbon Flux Measurements from NOAA Ship Malcolm Baldrige

NCEI Accession 0157455 contains surface underway measurements of carbon dioxide partial pressure in air and seawater from a 1996 research cruise. Data were collected aboard NOAA Ship Malcolm Baldrige in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Gulf of Mexico, and North Atlantic Ocean. The dataset includes concurrent measurements of salinity and sea surface temperature, enabling the calculation of air-sea CO2 flux.

Use Cases

• Calculating air-sea CO2 flux based on the difference in partial pressure between the atmosphere and water.
• Analyzing spatial variability of surface ocean carbon parameters in coastal and open-ocean regions.
• Validating or calibrating ocean carbon cycle models using in-situ pCO2 measurements.
• Assessing seasonal or interannual trends in oceanic carbon uptake in the North Atlantic region.

Strengths

• Provides direct, in-situ measurements of a key climate variable (carbon dioxide partial pressure) using a dedicated gas analyzer.
• Includes concurrent, co-located measurements of salinity and sea surface temperature, which are essential for flux calculations.
• Covers a specific, well-documented research cruise (33MW19960330) with clear provenance from NOAA AOML scientists.

Limitations

• Metadata completeness is low: column names, row count, file size, and license information are unavailable across all sources.
• The dataset is limited to a single, short cruise spanning 20 days in March-April 1996, offering only a temporal snapshot.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates (1996 vs. 2026) suggest potential metadata synchronization issues between platforms.

Provenance

Source

Rik Wanninkhof and Robert Castle of NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML).

Collection Method

Surface underway observations collected using a Carbon dioxide (CO2) gas analyzer and other instruments aboard NOAA Ship Malcolm Baldrige.

Time Range

1996-03-30 to 1996-04-18

Freshness

2026-03-05 23:56:31.747981

Geography

Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Gulf of Mexico, and North Atlantic Ocean.