RABELAIS Cruise: Surface Ocean Carbon and Temperature Measurements

From 1991-07-27 to 1997-01-15, the R/V RABELAIS collected surface underway measurements of carbon dioxide partial pressure in air and water, salinity, and sea surface temperature across multiple ocean basins. Data were gathered using a CO2 gas analyzer and shower head equilibrator as part of the ECOA_Cruises_1991-1997 dataset. The cruise track covered the Caribbean Sea, Coral Sea, English Channel, and the North and South Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Use Cases

• Calculating air-sea CO2 flux based on partial pressure measurements in air and water.
• Analyzing spatial patterns of sea surface temperature and salinity across major ocean basins.
• Validating or calibrating ocean carbon cycle models with in-situ surface underway data.
• Investigating temporal changes in surface ocean carbon parameters during the 1990s.

Strengths

• Covers a multi-year time series from 1991 to 1997.
• Includes direct, co-located measurements of atmospheric and aquatic CO2 partial pressure.
• Geographic coverage spans six distinct ocean regions and seas.

Limitations

• Column names and exact data structure are not provided in the available metadata.
• Conflicting last updated dates: one source reports 1997-01-15, while others report 2026-03-05.
• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and specific license are unknown.

Provenance

Source

Yves Dandonneau of Universite Pierre et Marie Curie; Laboratoire d'Oceanographie Dynamique

Collection Method

Surface underway observations from the research vessel RABELAIS using a Carbon dioxide (CO2) gas analyzer and Shower head chamber equilibrator.

Time Range

1991-07-27 to 1997-01-15

Freshness

2026-03-05 22:58:58.326445

Geography

Caribbean Sea, Coral Sea, English Channel, North Atlantic Ocean, North Pacific Ocean, South Pacific Ocean