Western Mediterranean Sea Dissolved Nutrients from Research Cruises (2004-2017)

From 2004 to 2017, 870 oceanographic stations were sampled during 24 research cruises in the Western Mediterranean Sea, primarily using Italian National Research Council vessels. The dataset combines bottle sample measurements of nitrate, phosphate, and silicate with CTD (conductivity, temperature, depth) profile data. It was created by Malek Belgacem and includes both primary and secondary quality-controlled versions.

Use Cases

• Modeling nutrient distribution and cycling in the Mediterranean Sea based on nitrate, phosphate, and silicate concentrations.
• Analyzing long-term trends in marine water quality from the 13-year time series of cruise data.
• Calibrating or validating satellite-derived ocean color products using in-situ nutrient measurements.
• Studying the relationship between physical water properties (CTD data) and chemical nutrient levels.

Strengths

• Includes 870 sampling stations from 24 distinct research cruises.
• Covers a 13-year time period from 2004 to 2017.
• Underwent a rigorous quality control process, with both primary and secondary (crossover analysis) versions provided.
• Combines discrete bottle sample data with continuous CTD profile measurements.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

Malek Belgacem, likely associated with the Italian National Research Council.

Collection Method

Samples collected via CTD-rosette systems on board research vessels, with laboratory analysis using standard colorimetric methods.

Time Range

2004-2017

Geography

Western Mediterranean Sea