USGS Arctic Ocean Carbon Cruise 2012: Discrete Underway Laboratory data

Models project the Arctic Ocean will become undersaturated with respect to carbonate minerals in the next decade. Recent field results indicate parts may already be undersaturated in late summer months when ice melt is at its greatest extent; however, few comprehensive datasets of carbonate system parameters in the Arctic Ocean exist. Researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and University of South Florida (USF) collected high-resolution measurements of pCO2, pH, total dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), total alkalinity (TA), and carbonate (CO3-2) from the Canada Basin to fill critical information gaps concerning Arctic carbon variability. A Multiparameter Inorganic Carbon Analyzer (MICA) was used to collect approximately 1,800 measurements of pH and DIC along an 11,965-km trackline in August and September 2012. In addition, over 500 discrete surface water samples were taken. These data are being used to characterize and model regional pCO2, pH, and carbonate mineral saturation state. A high-resolution, three-dimensional map of these results will be presented.