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Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas Database Version 2020 (SOCATv2020) (NCEI Accession 0210711)

Published by NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce | Metadata Last Checked: January 26, 2026 | Last Modified: 2025-06-25T00:00:00.000+00:00
This dataset consists of the Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas (SOCAT) data product files. SOCAT is a synthesis activity by the international marine carbon research community and has more than 100 contributors worldwide. SOCAT provides access to synthesis and gridded, quality controlled, observational products of surface ocean fCO2 (fugacity of carbon dioxide) for the global oceans and coastal seas. SOCAT version 2020 has 28.2 million quality-controlled surface ocean fCO2 (fugacity of CO2) observations with an estimated accuracy of better than 5 μatm and a WOCE flag of 2 (good) from 1957 to 2020 for the global oceans and coastal seas. In addition, 2.3 million values with an estimated accuracy of 5 to 10 μatm are available. During quality control, marine scientists assign a flag to each data set, as well as WOCE flags of 2 (good), 3 (questionable) or 4 (bad) to individual fCO2 values. Data sets are assigned flags of A and B for an accuracy of better than 2 μatm, flags of C and D for an accuracy of better than 5 μatm and a flag of E for an accuracy of better than 10 μatm. Bakker et al. (2016) describe the quality control criteria used in SOCAT versions 3, 4, 5, 6, 2019 and 2020. Quality control comments for individual data sets can be accessed via the SOCAT Data Set Viewer. All data sets, where data quality has been deemed acceptable, have been made public. The main SOCAT synthesis files and the gridded products contain all data sets with an estimated accuracy of better than 5 µatm (flags of A to D) and fCO2 values with a flag of 2. Access to data sets with an estimated accuracy of 5 to 10 (flag of E) and fCO2 values with flags of 3 and 4 is via additional data products and the Data Set Viewer (Table 8 in Bakker et al., 2016). SOCAT publishes a global gridded product with a 1° longitude by 1° latitude resolution. A second product with a higher resolution of 0.25° longitude by 0.25° latitude is available for the coastal seas. Gridded products are available monthly, per year and per decade. Two powerful, interactive, online viewers, the Data Set Viewer and the Gridded Data Viewer (www.socat.info), enable investigation of the SOCAT synthesis and gridded data products. SOCAT data products can be downloaded. Matlab code is available at www.socat.info for reading these files. Ocean Data View also provides access to the SOCAT data products (www.socat.info). SOCAT data products are discoverable, accessible and citable. SOCAT versions 3 to 2020 should be cited as Bakker et al., 2016 (until a publication on versions 4 to 2020 is published). The SOCAT Data Use Statement (www.socat.info) asks users to generously acknowledge the contribution of SOCAT scientists by invitation to co-authorship, especially for data providers in regional studies, and/or reference to relevant scientific articles. The SOCAT website (www.socat.info) provides a single access point for online viewers, downloadable data sets, the Data Use Statement, a list of contributors and an overview of scientific publications on and using SOCAT. Automation of data upload and initial data checks allows annual releases of SOCAT from version 4 onwards. SOCAT enables quantification of the ocean carbon sink and ocean acidification, as well as evaluation of sensor data and ocean biogeochemical models. More than 329 peer-reviewed scientific publications and 80 high-impact reports cite SOCAT. SOCAT represents a milestone in biogeochemical and climate research. SOCAT informs policy and high-profile climate negotiations. Maintenance and annual updates of the SOCAT product require sustained funding and community involvement.

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0210711 BAROMETRIC PRESSURE Partial pressure (or fugacity) of carbon dioxide - atmosphere partial pressure of carbon dioxide - water SALINITY - SURFACE WATER SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURE barometric pressure sensor bubble type equilibrator for autonomous carbon dioxide (CO2) measurement carbon dioxide (CO2) gas analyzer salinometer showerhead equilibrator temperature sensor chemical meteorological physical surface measurements time series underway MULTIPLE SHIPS OF GERMANY Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization Icelandic Marine Research Institute Japan Meteorological Agency, Marine Division Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Marine Institute Ireland National Institute for Environmental Studies NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory Sorbonne University University of Bergen, Geophysical Institute University of Colorado Boulder, Cooperative Institute for Research In Environmental Sciences University of East Anglia, School of Environmental Sciences University of East Anglia, School of Environmental Sciences Ship of Opportunity Programme (SOOP) Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas (SOCAT) Arctic Ocean Baltic Sea Caribbean Sea Gulf of Mexico Indian Ocean Mediterranean Sea - Eastern Basin North Atlantic Ocean North Pacific Ocean South Atlantic Ocean South Pacific Ocean Southern Ocean oceanography BJERKNES > Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research COLUMBIA/LDEO > Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University DOC/NOAA/OAR/AOML > Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, OAR, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce DOC/NOAA/OAR/PMEL > Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, OAR, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce IE/MARINE > Marine Institute, Ireland JP/JMA > Japan Meteorological Agency, Japan JP/NIES > National Institute for Environmental Studies, Japan U-BERGEN/GEOPH > Geophysical Institute, University of Bergen UCO/CIRES > Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado Ocean Carbon and Acidification Data System (OCADS) Project Coastal Carbon Project Moorings and Time Series Project SOOP Coastal Carbon Project Moorings and Time Series Project Ship Of Opportunity Program (SOOP) EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY > CARBON AND HYDROCARBON COMPOUNDS > ATMOSPHERIC CARBON DIOXIDE > PARTIAL PRESSURE OF CARBON DIOXIDE EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE EARTH SCIENCE > CLIMATE INDICATORS > ATMOSPHERIC/OCEAN INDICATORS > SURFACE SALINITY EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > OCEAN CHEMISTRY > CARBON DIOXIDE EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > OCEAN TEMPERATURE > SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURE EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > SALINITY/DENSITY > SALINITY Data synthesis product Surface measurement SOCAT SOCATv2020 Data Synthesis Product SOCATv2020 database SOCATv2020 gridded data product ATM_PPRE EQ_PRE EQ_TMP SSS SST fCO2 BAROMETERS > BAROMETERS CO2 ANALYZERS > CO2 ANALYZERS EQUILIBRATORS SALINOMETERS TEMPERATURE SENSORS > TEMPERATURE SENSORS OCEAN > ARCTIC OCEAN OCEAN > ATLANTIC OCEAN > NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN OCEAN > ATLANTIC OCEAN > NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN > BALTIC SEA OCEAN > ATLANTIC OCEAN > NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN > CARIBBEAN SEA OCEAN > ATLANTIC OCEAN > NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN > GULF OF AMERICA OCEAN > ATLANTIC OCEAN > NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN > GULF OF MEXICO OCEAN > ATLANTIC OCEAN > NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN > MEDITERRANEAN SEA OCEAN > ATLANTIC OCEAN > SOUTH ATLANTIC OCEAN OCEAN > INDIAN OCEAN OCEAN > PACIFIC OCEAN > NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN OCEAN > PACIFIC OCEAN > SOUTH PACIFIC OCEAN OCEAN > SOUTHERN OCEAN Arctic Ocean Atlantic Ocean Indian Ocean Pacific Ocean Southern Ocean

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