Keifu Maru Underway Ocean Carbon and Surface Data

Surface underway data from the vessel KEIFU MARU spans over a decade, from 2001-01-20 to 2013-08-27, covering the East China Sea, Sea of Japan, and North and South Pacific Ocean. The dataset includes measurements of barometric pressure, sea surface temperature, salinity, and the partial pressure of carbon dioxide in both air and water. Data were collected by researchers from the Japan Meteorological Agency using carbon dioxide gas analyzers and thermosalinographs.

Use Cases

• Tracking oceanic carbon dioxide uptake based on partial pressure measurements in air and water.
• Analyzing sea surface temperature and salinity patterns across the Pacific Ocean.
• Calibrating or validating ocean carbon cycle models with in-situ underway observations.
• Studying seasonal or interannual variability in surface ocean chemistry over a multi-year period.

Strengths

• Covers a long temporal range of over 12 years, from 2001 to 2013.
• Provides specific, high-frequency surface underway measurements from a dedicated vessel.
• Data is hosted on multiple authoritative platforms (NASA EarthData, Data.gov), indicating established provenance.

Limitations

• Conflicting metadata: the exact time range is ambiguous between sources, with some ending in 2012-06-12 and others extending to 2013-08-27.
• Critical metadata is missing, including column names, row counts, file size, and license information.
• The dataset appears to be split into multiple NCEI accessions (0116977, 0116978), complicating a unified view.

Provenance

Source

Japan Meteorological Agency; Pollutants Chemical Analysis Center; Marine Division; Global Environment and Marine Department

Collection Method

Surface underway observations collected from the vessel KEIFU MARU using Carbon dioxide (CO2) gas analyzer, Shower head chamber equilibrator, and thermosalinographs.

Time Range

2001-01-20 to 2013-08-27

Freshness

2026-03-05 23:19:06.791302

Geography

East China Sea (Tung Hai), Japan Sea, North Pacific Ocean, Philippine Sea, South Pacific Ocean