Coastal Ocean Carbon Dioxide Measurements from the F.G. Walton Smith

Surface underway data from the R/V F.G. Walton Smith provides continuous measurements of carbon dioxide partial pressure in coastal waters from 2011 to 2015. The dataset includes paired atmospheric and seawater CO2 readings, salinity, and sea surface temperature across the Gulf of Mexico, Florida Keys, and North Atlantic. These observations were collected using autonomous carbon dioxide gas analyzers and equilibrators during 29 distinct research cruises.

Use Cases

• Quantifying air-sea CO2 flux based on partial pressure differences between water and atmosphere.
• Monitoring coastal ocean acidification trends using time-series of seawater CO2 fugacity.
• Calibrating regional carbon cycle models with in-situ salinity and sea surface temperature data.
• Assessing spatial variability of carbon parameters across the Gulf of Mexico and Florida coastal waters.

Strengths

• Data spans multiple years (2011-2015) enabling seasonal and interannual trend analysis.
• Covers a wide geographic area including the Gulf of Mexico, Florida Keys, and North Atlantic Ocean.
• Includes data from 29 distinct research cruises, suggesting a substantial observational effort.

Limitations

• Column names and exact data structure are not specified in any source.
• Row counts, file sizes, and specific licenses are not provided.
• Last update dates conflict between platforms (2015 vs. 2026), casting doubt on metadata currency.

Provenance

Source

Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS) and NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML).

Collection Method

Surface underway observations using Carbon dioxide (CO2) gas analyzer and Shower head chamber equilibrator.

Time Range

2011-10-20 to 2015-11-20

Freshness

Most recent platform update was 2026-03-05, but the underlying data collection ended in 2015.

Geography

Coastal Waters of Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Gulf of Mexico, North Atlantic Ocean.