Ocean Carbon & Biogeochemistry
Studying marine ecosystems and biogeochemical cycles in the face of environmental change
  • Home
  • About OCB
    • About Us
    • Get Involved
    • Project Office
    • Code of Conduct
    • Scientific Steering Committee
    • OCB committees
      • Ocean Time-series
      • US Biogeochemical-Argo
      • Ocean-Atmosphere Interaction
    • Scientific Breadth
      • Biological Pump
      • Changing Marine Ecosystems
      • Changing Ocean Chemistry
      • Estuarine and Coastal Carbon Fluxes
      • Ocean Carbon Uptake and Storage
      • Ocean Observatories
  • Activities
    • OCB Webinar Series
    • Summer Workshops
    • Scoping Workshops
      • Ecological Forecasting – North American Coastlines
      • Expansion of BGC-Argo and Profiling Floats
      • Future BioGeoSCAPES program
      • Ocean-Atmosphere Interactions
      • Oceanic Methane & Nitrous Oxide
    • Other Workshops
      • GO-BCG Scoping Workshop
    • Science Planning
      • Coastal CARbon Synthesis (CCARS)
      • North Atlantic-Arctic
    • Ocean Acidification PI Meetings
    • Training Activities
      • PACE Training Activity
  • Small Group Activities
    • Aquatic Continuum OCB-NACP Focus Group
    • Arctic-COLORS Data Synthesis
    • Carbon Isotopes in the Ocean Workshop
    • CMIP6 WG
      • CMIP6 Models Workshop
    • Coastal BGS Obs with Fisheries
    • C-saw extreme events workshop
    • Filling the gaps air–sea carbon fluxes WG
    • Fish, fisheries and carbon
    • Fish Carbon WG
      • Fish Carbon WG Workshop
      • Fish carbon workshop summary
    • Lateral Carbon Flux in Tidal Wetlands
    • Marine carbon dioxide removal
      • Marine CDR Workshop
    • Metaproteomic Intercomparison
    • Mixotrophs & Mixotrophy WG
    • N-Fixation WG
    • Ocean Carbonate System Intercomparison Forum
    • Ocean Carbon Uptake WG
    • Ocean Nucleic Acids ‘Omics
    • OOI BGC sensor WG
    • Phytoplankton Taxonomy WG
  • Science Support
    • Data management and archival
    • Early Career
    • Funding Sources
    • Jobs & Postdocs
    • Meeting List
    • OCB topical websites
      • Ocean Fertilization
      • Trace gases
      • US IIOE-2
    • Outreach & Education
    • Promoting your science
    • Student Opportunities
    • OCB Activity Proposal Solicitations
    • Travel Support
  • Publications
    • Ocean Carbon Exchange
    • Newsletter Archive
    • Science Planning and Policy
    • OCB Workshop Reports
  • OCB Science Highlights
  • News

Integrated analysis of carbon dioxide and oxygen concentrations as a quality control of ocean float data

Posted by mmaheigan 
· Friday, August 26th, 2022 

A recent study in Communications Earth & Environment, examined spatiotemporal patterns of the two dissolved gases CO2 and O2 in the surface ocean, using the high-quality global dataset GLODAPv2.2020. We used surface ocean data from GLODAP to make plots of carbon dioxide and oxygen relative to saturation (CORS plots). These plots of CO2 deviations from saturation (ΔCO2) against oxygen deviations from saturation (ΔO2) (Figure 1) provide detailed insight into the identity and intensity of biogeochemical processes operating in different basins.

Figure 1: Relationships between ΔCO2 and ΔO2 in the global ocean basins based on surface data in the GLODAPv2.2020 database. The black dashed lines are the least-squares best-fit lines to the data; unc denotes the uncertainty in the y-intercept value with 95% confidence; r is the associated Pearson correlation coefficient; n is the number of data points.

In addition, data in all basins and all seasons shares some common behaviors: (1) negative slopes of best fit lines to the data, and (2) near-zero y-intercepts of those lines. We utilized these findings to compare patterns in CORS plots from GLODAP with those from BGC-Argo float data from the Southern Ocean Carbon and Climate Observations and Modeling (SOCCOM) program. Given that the float O2 data is likely to be more accurate than the float pH data (from which the float CO2 is calculated), CORS plots are useful for detecting questionable float CO2 data, by comparing trends in float CORS plots (e.g. Figure 2) to trends in GLODAP CORS plots (Figure 1). As well as the immediately detected erroneous data, we discovered significant discrepancies in ΔCO2-ΔO2 y-intercepts compared to the global reference (i.e., GLODAPv2.2020 y-intercepts, Figure 1). The y-intercepts of 48 floats with QCed O2 and CO2 data (at regions south of 55°S) were on average greater by 0.36 μmol kg−1 than the GLODAP-derived ones, implying the overestimations of float-based CO2 release in the Southern Ocean.

Figure 2. CORS plots from data collected by SOCCOM floats F9096 and F9099 in the high-latitude Southern Ocean. Circles with solid edges denote data flagged as ‘good’, whereas crosses denote data flagged as ‘questionable’.

Our study demonstrates CORS plots’ ability to identify questionable data (data shown to be questionable by other QC methods) and to reveal issues with supposed ‘good’ data (i.e., quality issues not picked up by other QC methods). CORS plots use only surface data, hence this QC method complements existing methods based on analysis of deep data. As the oceanographic community becomes increasingly reliant on data collected from autonomous platforms, techniques like CORS will help diagnose data quality, and immediately detect questionable data.

 

Authors:
Yingxu Wu (Polar and Marine Research Institute, Jimei University, Xiamen, China; University of Southampton)
Dorothee C.E. Bakker (University of East Anglia)
Eric P. Achterberg (GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel)
Amavi N. Silva (University of Southampton)
Daisy D. Pickup (University of Southampton)
Xiang Li (George Washington University)
Sue Hartman (National Oceanography Centre, Southampton)
David Stappard (University of Southampton)
Di Qi (Polar and Marine Research Institute, Jimei University, Xiamen, China)
Toby Tyrrell (University of Southampton)

Filter by Keyword

234Th disequilibrium abundance acidification africa air-sea flux air-sea interactions air-sea interface algae alkalinity allometry ammonium AMOC anoxia anoxic Antarctic anthro impacts anthropogenic carbon aquaculture aragonite saturation arctic Argo argon arsenic artificial seawater Atlantic Atlantic modeling atmospheric carbon atmospheric CO2 atmospheric nitrogen deposition authigenic carbonates autonomous platforms bacteria BATS benthic bgc argo bio-go-ship bio-optical bioavailability biogeochemical cycles biogeochemical cycling biogeochemical models biogeochemistry Biological Essential Ocean Variables biological pump biological uptake biophysics bloom blooms blue carbon bottom water boundary layer buffer capacity C14 CaCO3 calcification calcite calcium carbonate carbon-climate feedback carbon-sulfur coupling carbon budget carbon cycle carbon dioxide carbon export carbon sequestration carbon storage Caribbean CCA CCS changi changing marine ecosystems changing marine environments changing ocean chemistry chemical oceanographic data chemical speciation chemoautotroph chesapeake bay chl a chlorophyll circulation climate change climate variability CO2 CO2YS coastal darkening coastal ocean cobalt Coccolithophores community composition conservation cooling effect copepod coral reefs CTD currents cyclone data data access data management data product Data standards DCM dead zone decadal trends decomposers decomposition deep convection deep ocean deep sea coral deoxygenation depth diagenesis diatoms DIC diel migration diffusion dimethylsulfide dinoflagellate discrete measurements dissolved inorganic carbon dissolved organic carbon DOC DOM domoic acid dust DVM earth system models ecology ecosystems ecosystem state eddy Education Ekman transport emissions ENSO enzyme equatorial regions error ESM estuarine and coastal carbon estuarine and coastal carbon fluxes estuary euphotic zone eutrophication evolution export export fluxes export production EXPORTS extreme events extreme weather events faecal pellets filter feeders filtration rates fire fish Fish carbon fisheries floats fluid dynamics fluorescence food webs forage fish forams freshening freshwater frontal zone fronts functional role future oceans geochemistry geoengineering geologic time GEOTRACES glaciers gliders global carbon budget global ocean global warming go-ship grazing greenhouse gas Greenland groundwater Gulf of Maine Gulf of Mexico Gulf Stream gyre harmful algal bloom high latitude human food human impact hurricane hydrogen hydrothermal hypoxia ice age ice cores ice cover industrial onset inverse circulation ions iron iron fertilization isotopes jellies katabatic winds kelvin waves krill kuroshio laboratory vs field land-ocean continuum larvaceans lateral transport LGM lidar ligands light light attenuation lipids mangroves marine carbon cycle marine heatwave marine particles marine snowfall marshes Mediterranean meltwater mesopelagic mesoscale metagenome metals methane methods microbes microlayer microorganisms microscale microzooplankton midwater mixed layer mixed layers mixing mixotrophy modeling models mode water molecular diffusion MPT multi-decade n2o NAAMES NASA NCP net community production net primary productivity new ocean state new technology Niskin bottle nitrate nitrogen nitrogen fixation nitrous oxide north atlantic north pacific nuclear war nutricline nutrient budget nutrient cycling nutrient limitation nutrients OA ocean-atmosphere ocean acidification ocean acidification data ocean carbon uptake and storage ocean color ocean observatories ocean warming ODZ oligotrophic omics OMZ open ocean optics organic particles oscillation overturning circulation oxygen pacific paleoceanography particle flux pCO2 PDO peat pelagic PETM pH phenology phosphorus photosynthesis physical processes physiology phytoplankton PIC plankton POC polar regions pollutants precipitation predation prediction primary production primary productivity Prochlorococcus proteins pteropods pycnocline radioisotopes remineralization remote sensing repeat hydrography residence time resource management respiration resuspension rivers rocky shore Rossby waves Ross Sea ROV salinity salt marsh satell satellite scale seafloor seagrass sea ice sea level rise seasonal patterns seasonal trends sea spray seaweed sediments sensors shelf system shells ship-based observations shorelines silicate silicon cycle sinking particles size SOCCOM soil carbon southern ocean south pacific spatial covariations speciation SST stoichiometry subduction submesoscale subpolar subtropical sulfate surf surface surface ocean Synechococcus teleconnections temperate temperature temporal covariations thermocline thermodynamics thermohaline thorium tidal time-series time of emergence top predators total alkalinity trace elements trace metals trait-based transfer efficiency transient features Tris trophic transfer tropical turbulence twilight zone upper ocean upper water column upwelling US CLIVAR validation velocity gradient ventilation vertical flux vertical migration vertical transport volcano warming water clarity water quality waves western boundary currents wetlands winter mixing world ocean compilation zooplankton

Copyright © 2023 - OCB Project Office, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 266 Woods Hole Rd, MS #25, Woods Hole, MA 02543 USA Phone: 508-289-2838  •  Fax: 508-457-2193  •  Email: ocb_news@us-ocb.org

link to nsflink to noaalink to WHOI

Funding for the Ocean Carbon & Biogeochemistry Project Office is provided by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The OCB Project Office is housed at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.