GLODAPv2: North Atlantic Ocean CTD and Bottle Data, 1981

North Atlantic Ocean data from the ATLANTIS II research vessel cruise 31AN19810612, collected between June 12 and July 8, 1981. The dataset contains discrete sample and profile measurements of dissolved oxygen, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, silicate, salinity, and water temperature, gathered using CTD and bottle instruments. It is part of the GLODAPv2 compilation, contributed by Carl Wunsch of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Use Cases

• Analyzing vertical profiles of hydrostatic pressure and potential temperature (theta) to study ocean stratification.
• Investigating nutrient distributions (nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, silicate) for biogeochemical modeling.
• Calibrating ocean models with historical dissolved oxygen and salinity measurements from discrete bottle samples.
• Contributing to the GLODAPv2 synthesis for long-term ocean carbon and acidification studies.

Strengths

• Includes a specific, well-documented time range (1981-06-12 to 1981-07-08) and geographic scope (North Atlantic Ocean).
• Contains multiple core oceanographic variables (e.g., DISSOLVED OXYGEN, NITRATE, SALINITY) measured with standard instruments (CTD, bottle).
• Dataset is part of the authoritative GLODAPv2 (Global Ocean Data Analysis Project) compilation, indicating quality control.
• Cross-platform presence (Data.gov, NASA Earthdata) suggests recognized importance and accessibility.

Limitations

• Column names and exact row/record counts are not provided in any source, limiting understanding of data structure.
• Conflicting author attribution: one source lists 'Carl Wunsch of Massachusetts Institute of Technology', another lists 'C. Wunsch of Unknown'.
• Metadata is incomplete; license, data size, and a complete column schema are unknown.

Provenance

Source

Carl Wunsch, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; collected for the GLODAPv2 project.

Collection Method

Discrete sample and profile observations using CTD and bottle instruments from the R/V ATLANTIS II.

Time Range

1981-06-12 to 1981-07-08

Freshness

2026-03-05 22:33:46.259236

Geography

North Atlantic Ocean, cruise 31AN19810612