Description: Assessing the internal consistency of the CARINA database in the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean Earth System Science Data Discussions, 2, 367-419, 2009 Author(s): C. Lo Monaco, M. Álvarez, R. M. Key, X. Lin, T. Tanhua, B. Tilbrook, D. C. E. Bakker, S. van Heuven, M. Hoppema, N. Metzl, A. F. Ríos, C. L. Sabine, and A. Velo Carbon and carbon-relevant hydrographic and hydrochemical ancillary data from previously not publicly available cruises were retrieved and recently merged to a new data base, CARINA. The initial North Atlantic project, an international effort for ocean carbon synthesis, was extended to include the Arctic Mediterranean Seas (Arctic Ocean and Nordic Seas) and all three sectors of the Southern Ocean. From a total of 188 cruises, 37 cruises are part of the Southern Ocean. The present work focuses on data collected in the Indian sector (20° S–70° S; 30° E–150° E). The Southern Indian Ocean dataset covers the period 1992–2004 and includes seasonal repeated observations. Parameters including dissolved inorganic carbon (TCO 2 ), total alkalinity (TA), oxygen, nitrate, phosphate and silicate were examined for cruise-to-cruise and overall consistency. In addition, data from an existing, quality controlled data base (GLODAP) were introduced in the CARINA analysis to improve data coverage in the Southern Ocean. A global inversion was performed to synthesize the information deduced from objective comparisons of deep measurements (〉1500 m) at nearby stations (generally 〈220 m). The corrections suggested by the inversion were allowed to vary within a fixed envelope, thus accounting for ocean interior variability. The adjustments applied to CARINA data and those recommended for GLODAP data, in order to obtain a consistent merged dataset, are presented and discussed. The final outcome of this effort is a new quality controlled data base for TCO 2 and other properties of the carbon system that can now be used to investigate the natural variability or stability of ocean chemistry and the accumulation of anthropogenic carbon. This data product also offers an important new synthesis of seasonal to decadal observations to validate ocean biogeochemical models in a region where historical data were very sparse.

Description: The Irminger Sea and the Iceland Sea time series measurements of sea water carbon and nutrient chemistry 1983–2006 Earth System Science Data Discussions, 2, 477-492, 2009 Author(s): J. Olafsson, S. R. Olafsdottir, A. Benoit-Cattin, and T. Takahashi This paper describes the ways and means of assembling and quality controling the Irminger Sea and Iceland Sea time-series biogeochemical data which are included in the CARINA data set. The Irminger Sea and the Iceland Sea are hydrographically different regions where measurements of sea water carbon and nutrient chemistry were started in 1983. The sampling is seasonal, four times a year. The carbon chemistry is studied with measurements of the partial pressure of carbon dioxide in seawater, p CO 2 , and total dissolved inorganic carbon, TCO 2 . The carbon chemistry data are for surface waters only until 1994 when water column sampling was initiated. Other measured parameters are salinity, dissolved oxygen and the inorganic nutrients nitrate, phosphate and silicate. Because of the CARINA criteria for secondary quality control, depth 〉1500 m, the IRM-TS could not be included in the routine QC and the IS-TS only in a limited way. However, with the information provided here, the quality of the data can be assessed e.g. on the basis of the results obtained with the use of reference materials.