WOCE Indian Ocean Surface CO2 and Hydrographic Data

From December 1994 to January 1996, the research vessel KNORR collected underway surface observations across the Indian Ocean and adjacent seas. The dataset includes measurements of barometric pressure, sea surface temperature, salinity, and the partial pressure of carbon dioxide in air and seawater. These data were collected as part of the World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) Hydrographic Program to study the ocean's role in climate.

Use Cases

• Analyzing air-sea CO2 flux based on partial pressure measurements.
• Studying ocean acidification trends using surface water carbon dioxide data.
• Calibrating or validating ocean carbon cycle models with in-situ salinity and temperature data.
• Investigating regional hydrographic variability in the Indian Ocean basins.

Strengths

• Data is part of the large-scale, internationally coordinated WOCE program, covering approximately 23,000 stations from 94 cruises.
• Provides specific, high-value chemical measurements like the partial pressure of carbon dioxide, which are critical for climate studies.
• Covers a wide geographic area across nine named seas and gulfs in the Indian Ocean region.

Limitations

• The exact column names, row count, and file size are not provided in the available metadata.
• There is a conflict in the 'last updated' date between sources (1996 vs. 2026), suggesting potential metadata inconsistency.
• License information is not specified.

Provenance

Source

Robert M. Key (Princeton University) and Christopher L. Sabine (NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory).

Collection Method

Underway surface observations collected from the R/V KNORR using a Carbon dioxide (CO2) gas analyzer and a shower head chamber equilibrator.

Time Range

1994-12-01 to 1996-01-21

Freshness

2026-03-05 23:19:19.876771

Geography

Andaman Sea, Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, Indian Ocean, Laccadive Sea, Mozambique Channel, Persian Gulf.