PACIFICA 32PZ20020819: Arctic Ocean Hydrographic and Chemical Profiles

NCEI Accession 0115588 contains discrete sample and profile data from the USCGC POLAR STAR cruise in the Arctic Ocean during August and September 2002. The dataset includes measurements of hydrographic properties, dissolved oxygen, nutrients, and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), collected using CTD and bottle instruments. It was produced by Rebecca Woodgate of the University of Washington's Applied Physics Laboratory as part of the international PACIFICA project for synthesizing Pacific Ocean interior carbon data.

Use Cases

• Tracing ocean ventilation and water mass age using CFC-11, CFC-12, and CFC-113 concentrations.
• Analyzing nutrient cycles and biological productivity based on nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, and silicate measurements.
• Studying physical oceanography and water column structure using CTD-derived salinity, temperature, and potential temperature (theta).
• Investigating freshwater sources and mixing processes using delta Oxygen-18 and salinity data.

Strengths

• Includes a specific suite of chemical tracers (CFCs) and stable isotopes (delta O-18) relevant for ocean circulation studies.
• Data collection is temporally bounded to a specific research cruise from 2002-08-19 to 2002-09-23.
• Associated with a recognized international research project (PACIFICA) supported by PICES.

Limitations

• Key metadata is missing across all sources, including column names, row count, file size, and license information.
• Conflicting 'last updated' timestamps exist between platforms (2002-09-23 and 2026-03-05), creating uncertainty about provenance.
• The dataset's spatial coverage is limited to the track of a single, approximately one-month cruise in the Arctic Ocean.

Provenance

Source

Rebecca Woodgate, University of Washington; Applied Physics Laboratory, collected for the PACIFICA project.

Collection Method

Discrete samples and continuous profiles collected using CTD and bottle instruments from the USCGC POLAR STAR.

Time Range

2002-08-19 to 2002-09-23

Freshness

2026-03-05 22:52:24.449530

Geography

Arctic Ocean