R/V James Clark Ross: Surface pCO2 and Ocean Parameters in the Southern Ocean

From 2016-04-02 to 2018-12-29, this dataset contains surface underway measurements from R/V James Clark Ross cruises in the South Atlantic Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Drake Passage. It includes partial pressure of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and water, sea surface salinity, sea surface temperature, and barometric pressure. The data were collected using a barometric pressure sensor and a carbon dioxide gas analyzer.

Use Cases

• Calculating air-sea CO2 flux based on partial pressure measurements in water and atmosphere.
• Analyzing correlations between sea surface temperature and pCO2 levels in the Southern Ocean.
• Monitoring temporal changes in ocean carbon parameters across multiple cruises from 2016 to 2018.
• Validating regional carbon cycle models with in-situ surface underway data from the Drake Passage.

Strengths

• Data covers a multi-year time range from 2016 to 2018 across two distinct cruise periods.
• Includes directly measured, co-located parameters (pCO2, SST, salinity, pressure) crucial for flux calculations.
• Hosted on multiple authoritative platforms (Data.gov, NASA Earthdata), indicating vetting and importance.

Limitations

• Column names and exact data structure are not provided in any source, limiting immediate usability.
• Conflicting 'last updated' metadata (2018, 2016, and 2026) creates uncertainty about versioning and maintenance.
• No information on data resolution (temporal or spatial), row count, file size, or license terms.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce, via NCEI Accession.

Collection Method

Surface underway measurements collected via instruments (barometric pressure sensor, CO2 gas analyzer) aboard the R/V James Clark Ross.

Time Range

2016-04-02 to 2018-12-29

Freshness

2026-03-05 23:32:49.153036 (Data.gov), though this may be a metadata update rather than a data update.

Geography

South Atlantic Ocean, Southern Ocean, Drake Passage