The Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas (SOCAT; www.socat.info) – a synthesis activity by the international marine carbon research community with more than 100 contributors - has just released its Version 4 product! SOCATv4 has 18.5 million quality-controlled, surface ocean fCO2 (fugacity of carbon dioxide) observations with an accuracy of better than 5 μatm from 1957 to 2015 for the global oceans and coastal seas. It is also the first annual release using automated data upload.
Automation of data upload and initial data checks speeds up data submission and allows annual releases of SOCAT from version 4 onwards. SOCAT enables quantification of the ocean carbon sink and ocean acidification and evaluation of ocean biogeochemical models. SOCAT represents a milestone in research coordination, data access, biogeochemical and climate research and in informing policy. You can obtain further details on SOCATv4 from the attached poster handout.
Figure 1: Data flow upon SOCAT automation from data upload, via submission to quality control and release of synthesis products.
To download the synthesis and gridded products of SOCATv4, please navigate to the 4th button on the left hand side of www.socat.info site. Next week the site will also provide access to the online viewers for version 4, to be followed by access to individual data set files.
Please, follow the SOCAT Fair Data Use Statement by generously acknowledging the contribution of SOCAT scientists by invitation to co-authorship, especially for data providers in regional studies.
Also note the key dates for the next annual release:
- Submission of data for version 5 ends 15 January 2017.
- Quality control for version 5 ends 31 March 2017.