Surface Ocean CO₂
Reference Observing Network

Mission

SOCONET participants perform automated measurements of surface water and atmospheric CO2 from ships of opportunity and moorings. The data are used to quantify global air-sea CO2 fluxes and trends in surface water CO2 levels. The air-sea are fluxes key to assess the global carbon balance, and the trend determines ocean acidification.

Goals

The network partners will work collaboratively to measure the partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) from ships and moorings. The reference data will be acquired following standard operating procedures. SOCONET will disseminate data and data products openly.

Initial Steps

1. Recruit participants for SOCONET.
2. Inventory platforms, and their metadata that are part of SOCONET.
3. Set up a system to track platforms in near-real time.
4. Develop procedures to quality control and assess accuracy of air CO2 measurements taken from the platforms.