Polarstern 2017 Cruise: Surface Ocean CO2 and Meteorological Measurements

Surface underway measurements of partial pressure (fugacity) of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and seawater, alongside sea surface temperature, salinity, barometric pressure, and wind data, were collected during the R/V Polarstern's 2017 voyages across the North Atlantic, South Atlantic, South Pacific, and Southern Oceans. The data were gathered using a CO2 gas analyzer and a shower head chamber equilibrator. Researchers Mario Hoppema of the Alfred Wegener Institute and Steven van Heuven of Groningen University led the collection effort.

Use Cases

• Calculating air-sea CO2 flux based on partial pressure differentials between the ocean and atmosphere.
• Validating satellite-derived sea surface temperature and salinity products with in-situ underway measurements.
• Analyzing spatial gradients of ocean carbon parameters across multiple ocean basins during a single annual cycle.
• Assessing seasonal variability in Southern Ocean carbon uptake using continuous underway data from a research vessel.

Strengths

• Data collection spans a wide geographic range across four major ocean basins over an 8-month period from February to October 2017.
• Includes directly measured, co-located chemical and meteorological variables critical for flux calculations.
• Dataset is hosted by authoritative organizations (NOAA NCEI, NASA) and appears on multiple platforms, indicating curation and importance.

Limitations

• Column names and a precise row count are not provided in the available metadata, limiting immediate assessment of data structure.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates (2017-10-13 vs. 2026-03-06) create uncertainty about the most recent version or curation status.
• License information is not specified, which may restrict clear understanding of reuse permissions.

Provenance

Source

Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research; Groningen University

Collection Method

Surface underway measurements collected via Carbon dioxide (CO2) gas analyzer and shower head chamber equilibrator aboard the R/V Polarstern.

Time Range

2017-02-05 to 2017-10-13

Freshness

2026-03-06 00:18:05.223046

Geography

North Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic Ocean, South Pacific Ocean, Southern Oceans