Southern Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry from the Nathaniel B. Palmer

From November 25 to December 8, 1997, the R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer collected surface underway measurements in the South Pacific and Southern Oceans south of 60 degrees South. The dataset includes measurements of the partial pressure of carbon dioxide in air and water, alongside supporting variables like salinity, sea surface temperature, chlorophyll, and nutrients. Data were collected as part of the LDEO Pumping SeaSoar Expedition (cruises TOW3, TOW4, TOW5-1, TOW6) by researchers from Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and Oregon State University.

Use Cases

• Analyzing air-sea CO2 flux gradients based on simultaneous pCO2 measurements in air and water.
• Studying phytoplankton biomass dynamics using chlorophyll and photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) data.
• Investigating nutrient limitation patterns in the Southern Ocean using nitrate, phosphate, and silicate concentrations.
• Calibrating and validating ocean carbon models with in-situ measurements of salinity, temperature, and sigma-t.

Strengths

• Provides simultaneous, co-located measurements of atmospheric and aquatic carbon dioxide partial pressure, a key for flux calculations.
• Includes a suite of supporting biological, chemical, and physical variables (e.g., chlorophyll, nutrients, PAR) for contextual analysis.
• Data originates from a recognized research vessel and institutions (Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Oregon State University).

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, specific column names, and data license are unavailable across all sources.
• The dataset is from a single, two-week expedition in 1997, limiting temporal and spatial generalizability.
• Platforms show conflicting 'last updated' dates (1997-12-08 vs. 2026-03-05), creating uncertainty about metadata maintenance.

Provenance

Source

NOAA NCEI (National Centers for Environmental Information)

Collection Method

Surface underway observations using Carbon dioxide (CO2) gas analyzer, PAR Sensor, and other instruments.

Time Range

1997-11-25 to 1997-12-08

Freshness

2026-03-05 23:54:26.224576

Geography

South Pacific Ocean and Southern Oceans (> 60 degrees South)