The JGOFS programme was planned as a
decade-long study of the biogeochemistry of the
ocean, with a major focus on carbon fluxes and
supported three major classes of activities:
¥ Time-series sites where long-term records of
biogeochemical parameters could be collected.
The first such site was established off Bermuda.
A second site was established off Hawaii.
A European-supported site was subsequently
established off the Canary Islands.
¥ Regional process studies of seasonal to annual
duration where specific processes could be
examined. The first such process study was the
North Atlantic Bloom Experiment, which
focused on the Spring Bloom in the northeastern
Atlantic. Subsequent major process studies were
conducted in the equatorial Pacific, the Arabian
Sea and the Southern Ocean.
¥ A Global Survey. This was to provide globalscale data concerning carbon fluxes and transports. The scientific goals of the Global CO 2
Survey required similar data coverage and many
of the same supporting measurements and information as were planned for the WHP. Based on
negotiations between the two programmes, a
formal agreement was reached prior to the start
of the field work, which resulted in the establishment of a JGOFS CO 2 measurement program on the WHP cruises.
6.3.3.2 Goals of the Global CO 2 Survey
The Global CO 2 Survey had three primary goals:
1 to quantify the uptake of Excess CO 2 by the
oceans;
2 to provide a global description of carbon dioxide in the oceans to aid the development of
models of the ocean’s role in the global carbon
cycle; and
3 to characterize the transport of inorganic carbon within the ocean and between the ocean
and the atmosphere in order to reveal carbon
sources and sinks for the atmosphere.
These goals would be attained through making
measurements sufficient to calculate the full speciation of inorganic carbon on discrete samples collected during WOCE cruises, as well as through
measurement of pCO 2 on surface water and air on
a semicontinuous basis along the WOCE transects.
The former required measurement on discrete
water samples from hydrographic casts of at least
two carbonate system parameters. The latter
required measurements on a continuous pumped
seawater stream together with supporting thermosalinograph data. Attainment of the overall
goals of the CO 2 Survey would rely heavily on
the WOCE data-stream: particularly the WOCE
hydrographic, dissolved oxygen, nutrient and
tracer measurements as well as the boundary current transport data required for calculating carbon
transports.
Figure 6.3.3 presents a map of the WOCE lines
on which CO 2 -related profiles were collected.
Analysis time and personnel restrictions meant
that, normally, sampling of CO 2 parameters did
not take place at all hydrographic stations along
these cruise tracks but rather at between 25 and
50% of the stations occupied.
6.3.3.3 Implementation
Scientific leadership and guidance
No single body was responsible for the implementation and organisation of the CO 2 Survey. General
scientific oversight was provided by the International JGOFS Science Steering Committee and,
specifically, by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission/JGOFS Ocean CO 2 Panel.
The WOCE Hydrographic Programme Planning
Committee took an active role in assisting with
logistic planning as well as with devising a data
management plan. Much of the scientific impetus
for the Survey arose within the USA, particularly
with the US Department of Energy (DOE) supported Global CO 2 Survey Science Team. This
group of investigators, who were involved with the
task of planning and making their own at-sea measurements, received long-term support to plan and
guide their programme. The group worked as a
team, under the initial guidance of J. Downing
(then of the Pacific Northwest Laboratory). The
Department of Energy’s Office of Health and Environmental Research at that time had the foresight
to allow the Science Team to reach out both
nationally and internationally in order to establish
standard methods and data quality control
(see Section 6.3.3.4). Funding was also provided
for carbon measurements to be made on non-US
WOCE cruises that would otherwise have been
unsupported. Significant support to the US-DOE
CO 2 Survey Science Team was provided by a group
of US investigators organized within the National
SECTION 6 LARGE-SCALE OCEAN TRANSPORTS
496
decade-long study of the biogeochemistry of the
ocean, with a major focus on carbon fluxes and
supported three major classes of activities:
¥ Time-series sites where long-term records of
biogeochemical parameters could be collected.
The first such site was established off Bermuda.
A second site was established off Hawaii.
A European-supported site was subsequently
established off the Canary Islands.
¥ Regional process studies of seasonal to annual
duration where specific processes could be
examined. The first such process study was the
North Atlantic Bloom Experiment, which
focused on the Spring Bloom in the northeastern
Atlantic. Subsequent major process studies were
conducted in the equatorial Pacific, the Arabian
Sea and the Southern Ocean.
¥ A Global Survey. This was to provide globalscale data concerning carbon fluxes and transports. The scientific goals of the Global CO 2
Survey required similar data coverage and many
of the same supporting measurements and information as were planned for the WHP. Based on
negotiations between the two programmes, a
formal agreement was reached prior to the start
of the field work, which resulted in the establishment of a JGOFS CO 2 measurement program on the WHP cruises.
6.3.3.2 Goals of the Global CO 2 Survey
The Global CO 2 Survey had three primary goals:
1 to quantify the uptake of Excess CO 2 by the
oceans;
2 to provide a global description of carbon dioxide in the oceans to aid the development of
models of the ocean’s role in the global carbon
cycle; and
3 to characterize the transport of inorganic carbon within the ocean and between the ocean
and the atmosphere in order to reveal carbon
sources and sinks for the atmosphere.
These goals would be attained through making
measurements sufficient to calculate the full speciation of inorganic carbon on discrete samples collected during WOCE cruises, as well as through
measurement of pCO 2 on surface water and air on
a semicontinuous basis along the WOCE transects.
The former required measurement on discrete
water samples from hydrographic casts of at least
two carbonate system parameters. The latter
required measurements on a continuous pumped
seawater stream together with supporting thermosalinograph data. Attainment of the overall
goals of the CO 2 Survey would rely heavily on
the WOCE data-stream: particularly the WOCE
hydrographic, dissolved oxygen, nutrient and
tracer measurements as well as the boundary current transport data required for calculating carbon
transports.
Figure 6.3.3 presents a map of the WOCE lines
on which CO 2 -related profiles were collected.
Analysis time and personnel restrictions meant
that, normally, sampling of CO 2 parameters did
not take place at all hydrographic stations along
these cruise tracks but rather at between 25 and
50% of the stations occupied.
6.3.3.3 Implementation
Scientific leadership and guidance
No single body was responsible for the implementation and organisation of the CO 2 Survey. General
scientific oversight was provided by the International JGOFS Science Steering Committee and,
specifically, by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission/JGOFS Ocean CO 2 Panel.
The WOCE Hydrographic Programme Planning
Committee took an active role in assisting with
logistic planning as well as with devising a data
management plan. Much of the scientific impetus
for the Survey arose within the USA, particularly
with the US Department of Energy (DOE) supported Global CO 2 Survey Science Team. This
group of investigators, who were involved with the
task of planning and making their own at-sea measurements, received long-term support to plan and
guide their programme. The group worked as a
team, under the initial guidance of J. Downing
(then of the Pacific Northwest Laboratory). The
Department of Energy’s Office of Health and Environmental Research at that time had the foresight
to allow the Science Team to reach out both
nationally and internationally in order to establish
standard methods and data quality control
(see Section 6.3.3.4). Funding was also provided
for carbon measurements to be made on non-US
WOCE cruises that would otherwise have been
unsupported. Significant support to the US-DOE
CO 2 Survey Science Team was provided by a group
of US investigators organized within the National
SECTION 6 LARGE-SCALE OCEAN TRANSPORTS
496