SOOP Keifu Maru II 2015: Surface Ocean CO2 and Salinity Measurements

NCEI Accession 0169101 contains surface underway measurements from the R/V Keifu Maru II research vessel across the Pacific Ocean, East China Sea, and Sea of Japan. The dataset includes barometric pressure, partial pressure (fugacity) of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and water, sea surface salinity, and sea surface temperature. Data were collected from January 8 to November 30, 2015, using a CO2 gas analyzer and a shower head chamber equilibrator.

Use Cases

• Calculating air-sea CO2 flux based on measured partial pressure differentials.
• Analyzing spatial and temporal variability of sea surface temperature and salinity in the western Pacific.
• Validating regional ocean carbon models using in-situ fugacity of carbon dioxide measurements.
• Studying seasonal changes in surface ocean chemistry across the East China Sea and Sea of Japan.

Strengths

• Data collection spans a significant temporal range of over ten months in 2015.
• Measurements cover multiple distinct geographic regions: the Pacific Ocean, East China Sea, and Sea of Japan.
• Dataset is hosted on multiple authoritative platforms (Data.gov, NASA Earthdata), indicating curation and importance.

Limitations

• Column names and the exact number of data rows are not provided in the available metadata.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates exist between sources (2026-03-06 vs. 2015-11-30).
• License information is not specified for any platform.

Provenance

Source

Shu Saito, Marine Division, Global Environment and Marine Department, Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

Collection Method

Surface underway observations from the R/V Keifu Maru II using a carbon dioxide (CO2) gas analyzer and shower head chamber equilibrator.

Time Range

2015-01-08 to 2015-11-30

Freshness

2026-03-06 00:00:51.088072

Geography

Pacific Ocean, East China Sea, Sea of Japan