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Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas Database Version 6 (SOCATv6) (NCEI Accession 0173715)

Published by NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce | Metadata Last Checked: January 29, 2026 | Last Modified: 2025-06-24T00:00:00.000+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 6 has 23.4 million, in situ, surface ocean fCO2 measurements with an accuracy of better than 5 μatm and a WOCE flag of 2 (good) from 1957 to 2017. Calibrated sensor data with an accuracy of better than 10 μatm are also 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 to 6. Quality control comments for individual data sets can be accessed via the SOCAT Data Set Viewer (www.socat.info). 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 flags of A to D and fCO2 values with a flag of 2. Access to data sets with a 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 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 6 should be cited as Bakker et al., 2016 (until a publication on versions 4, 5 and 6 is published). The SOCAT Fair 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 Fair 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 onward. SOCAT enables quantification of the ocean carbon sink and ocean acidification and evaluation of ocean biogeochemical models. More than 210 peer-reviewed scientific publications and high-impact reports cite SOCAT. SOCAT represents a milestone in research coordination, data access, biogeochemical and climate research and in informing policy.

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0173715 BAROMETRIC PRESSURE Partial pressure (or fugacity) of carbon dioxide - atmosphere partial pressure of carbon dioxide - water SALINITY - SURFACE WATER SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURE carbon dioxide (CO2) gas analyzer showerhead equilibrator chemical meteorological physical surface measurements surface underway MULTIPLE SHIPS OF GERMANY University of East Anglia, School of Environmental Sciences University of East Anglia, School of Environmental Sciences Ship of Opportunity Programme (SOOP) Arctic Ocean Indian Ocean North Atlantic Ocean North Pacific Ocean South Atlantic Ocean South Pacific Ocean Southern Ocean oceanography 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 underway SOCAT SOCATv6 Data synthesis product SOCATv6 database SOCATv6 gridded data product ATM_PPRE EQ_PRE EQ_TMP SSS SST fCO2 CO2 ANALYZERS > CO2 ANALYZERS EQUILIBRATORS OCEAN > ARCTIC OCEAN OCEAN > ATLANTIC OCEAN > NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN 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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