Coastal Carbon Dynamics: Surface Underway Measurements from the Gulf of Mexico (2009-2010)

From 2009-01-09 to 2010-03-21, this dataset contains chemical, meteorological, and physical data collected from the R/V CAPE HATTERAS in the Gulf of Mexico. It includes measurements of barometric pressure, air and seawater carbon dioxide partial pressure, salinity, and sea surface temperature, collected using a CO2 gas analyzer and equilibrator. The data are part of the Global Coastal Carbon Data Project, focusing on carbon cycle dynamics in coastal regions.

Use Cases

• Calculating air-sea CO2 flux based on partial pressure measurements in air and water.
• Analyzing seasonal variability in coastal carbon chemistry from time-series cruise data.
• Validating regional ocean carbon models using in-situ salinity and sea surface temperature observations.
• Studying the relationship between meteorological conditions (barometric pressure) and surface ocean carbon parameters.

Strengths

• Data covers four distinct research cruises over a 14-month period, providing temporal coverage.
• Includes directly measured, co-located parameters (pCO2, SST, salinity) critical for flux calculations.
• Part of a curated, cross-platform project (Global Coastal Carbon Data Project) indicating vetting and reuse.

Limitations

• Critical metadata is missing or conflicting: row count, file size, and specific column names are unknown.
• License information is not provided, restricting clarity on permissible use.
• The most recent update date (2026-03-06) conflicts with the data collection end date (2010-03-21), suggesting metadata updates rather than new data.

Provenance

Source

Wei-Jun Cai of the University of Delaware, College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment; School of Marine Science and Policy.

Collection Method

Collected via underway-surface observations from the R/V CAPE HATTERAS using a Carbon dioxide (CO2) gas analyzer and Shower head chamber equilibrator.

Time Range

2009-01-09 to 2010-03-21

Freshness

2026-03-06 00:00:09.324880 (metadata update)

Geography

Gulf of Mexico