Southern Ocean Trace Gas Measurements from RV Investigator Voyages

RV Investigator voyages IN2024_V01 and IN2024_T01 collected measurements of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and methanethiol (MeSH) using a Proton Transfer Reaction Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer. Data collection occurred from January 2 to March 20, 2024, during voyages between Hobart and Fremantle. The Australian Ocean Data Network provides these observations of trace gases in the Southern Ocean atmosphere.

Use Cases

• Analyze DMS concentration time-series to study its role in cloud formation and climate interactions.
• Correlate MeSH measurements with oceanographic data to investigate marine sulfur cycling.
• Model trace gas fluxes between the ocean and atmosphere using high-frequency PTR-ToF-MS data from the voyage track.
• Validate satellite-derived atmospheric composition data with in-situ DMS observations from the Southern Ocean.

Strengths

• Data covers two distinct voyages over a 2.5-month period in 2024.
• Focuses on specific, climatically relevant trace gases (DMS and MeSH).
• Collected using a high-sensitivity PTR-ToF-MS instrument.

Limitations

• Unknown sample size and temporal resolution of measurements.
• Geographic coverage is limited to the specific ship tracks between Hobart and Fremantle.
• Data format includes non-tabular files like HTML and PNG, which may complicate analysis.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network.

Collection Method

In-situ measurements from a Proton Transfer Reaction Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer aboard the RV Investigator.

Time Range

January 2, 2024 to March 20, 2024.

Freshness

Dataset metadata was last updated in April 2026.

Geography

Southern Ocean, along ship tracks between Hobart, Australia and Fremantle, Australia.