Ship-Based pCO2 and Sea Surface Measurements from Near-Japan Cruises

Surface underway data from the R/V Wakataka-Maru covers the North Pacific Ocean, Sea of Japan, and Sea of Okhotsk from April 12 to November 16, 2019. The dataset includes partial pressure of carbon dioxide in air and water, sea surface salinity, sea surface temperature, and barometric pressure. Measurements were collected using a CO2 gas analyzer and a shower head chamber equilibrator as part of the Fisheries Research Agency's near-Japan pCO2 cruises project.

Use Cases

• Calculating air-sea CO2 flux based on paired atmospheric and aquatic pCO2 measurements.
• Analyzing seasonal variability in ocean carbon chemistry across the North Pacific, Sea of Japan, and Sea of Okhotsk.
• Validating regional ocean carbon models using in-situ sea surface temperature and salinity data.
• Assessing the performance of autonomous CO2 measurement systems like the shower head chamber equilibrator.

Strengths

• Covers a specific, multi-month time series from April to November 2019.
• Includes paired atmospheric and aquatic pCO2 measurements, a key variable for flux calculations.
• Data is hosted by authoritative organizations (NOAA, NASA).

Limitations

• Column names and exact data structure are not provided in any source.
• The dataset's size and row count are unknown.
• Conflicting last-updated dates exist between platforms (2019-11-16 vs. 2026-03-05).

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce.

Collection Method

Collected via surface underway instruments (CO2 gas analyzer, shower head chamber equilibrator) on board the R/V Wakataka-Maru.

Time Range

2019-04-12 to 2019-11-16

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-05 (datagov), but data collection ended 2019-11-16.

Geography

North Pacific Ocean, Sea of Japan, Sea of Okhotsk.