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Abstract. The presented pilot for the Synthesis Product for Ocean Time Series (SPOTS) includes data from 12 fixed ship-based time-series programs. The related stations represent unique open-ocean and coastal marine environments within the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Nordic Seas, and Caribbean Sea. The focus of the pilot has been placed on biogeochemical essential ocean variables: dissolved oxygen, dissolved inorganic nutrients, inorganic carbon (pH, total alkalinity, dissolved inorganic carbon, and partial pressure of CO2), particulate matter, and dissolved organic carbon. The time series used include a variety of temporal resolutions (monthly, seasonal, or irregular), time ranges (10–36 years), and bottom depths (80–6000 m), with the oldest samples dating back to 1983 and the most recent one corresponding to 2021. Besides having been harmonized into the same format (semantics, ancillary data, units), the data were subjected to a qualitative assessment in which the applied methods were evaluated and categorized. The most recently applied methods of the time-series programs usually follow the recommendations outlined by the Bermuda Time Series Workshop report (Lorenzoni and Benway, 2013), which is used as the main reference for “method recommendations by prevalent initiatives in the field”. However, measurements of dissolved oxygen and pH, in particular, still show room for improvement. Additional data quality descriptors include precision and accuracy estimates, indicators for data variability, and offsets compared to a reference and widely recognized data product for the global ocean: the GLobal Ocean Data Analysis Project (GLODAP). Generally, these descriptors indicate a high level of continuity in measurement quality within time-series programs and a good consistency with the GLODAP data product, even though robust comparisons to the latter are limited. The data are available as (i) a merged comma-separated file that is compliant with the World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) exchange format and (ii) a format dependent on user queries via the Environmental Research Division's Data Access Program (ERDDAP) server of the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS). The pilot increases the data utility, findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability following the FAIR philosophy, enhancing the readiness of biogeochemical time series. It facilitates a variety of applications that benefit from the collective value of biogeochemical time-series observations and forms the basis for a sustained time-series living data product, SPOTS, complementing relevant products for the global interior ocean carbon data (GLobal Ocean Data Analysis Project), global surface ocean carbon data (Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas; SOCAT), and global interior and surface methane and nitrous oxide data (MarinE MethanE and NiTrous Oxide product). Aside from the actual data compilation, the pilot project produced suggestions for reporting metadata, implementing quality control measures, and making estimations about uncertainty. These recommendations aim to encourage the community to adopt more consistent and uniform practices for analysis and reporting and to update these practices regularly. The detailed recommendations, links to the original time-series programs, the original data, their documentation, and related efforts are available on the SPOTS website. This site also provides access to the data product (DOI: https://doi.org/10.26008/1912/bco-dmo.896862.2, Lange et al., 2024) and ancillary data. 

Abstract. The Global Ocean Data Analysis Project (GLODAP) is a synthesis effort providing regular compilations of surface to bottom ocean biogeochemical bottle data, with an emphasis on seawater inorganic carbon chemistry and related variables determined through chemical analysis of seawater samples. GLODAPv2.2023 is an update of the previous version, GLODAPv2.2022 (Lauvset et al., 2022). The major changes are as follows: data from 23 new cruises were added. In addition, a number of changes were made to the data included in GLODAPv2.2022. GLODAPv2.2023 includes measurements from more than 1.4 million water samples from the global oceans collected on 1108 cruises. The data for the now 13 GLODAP core variables (salinity, oxygen, nitrate, silicate, phosphate, dissolved inorganic carbon, total alkalinity, pH, chlorofluorocarbon-11 (CFC-11), CFC-12, CFC-113, CCl4, and SF6) have undergone extensive quality control with a focus on the systematic evaluation of bias. The data are available in two formats: (i) as submitted by the data originator but converted to World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) exchange format and (ii) as a merged data product with adjustments applied to minimize bias. For the present annual update, adjustments for the 23 new cruises were derived by comparing those data with the data from the 1085 quality-controlled cruises in the GLODAPv2.2022 data product using crossover analysis. SF6 data from all cruises were evaluated by comparison with CFC-12 data measured on the same cruises. For nutrients and ocean carbon dioxide (CO2), chemistry comparisons to estimates based on empirical algorithms provided additional context for adjustment decisions. The adjustments that we applied are intended to remove potential biases from errors related to measurement, calibration, and data-handling practices without removing known or likely time trends or variations in the variables evaluated. The compiled and adjusted data product is believed to be consistent to better than 0.005 in salinity, 1 % in oxygen, 2 % in nitrate, 2 % in silicate, 2 % in phosphate, 4 µmol kg−1 in dissolved inorganic carbon, 4 µmol kg−1 in total alkalinity, 0.01–0.02 in pH (depending on region), and 5 % in the halogenated transient tracers. The other variables included in the compilation, such as isotopic tracers and discrete CO2 fugacity (fCO2), were not subjected to bias comparison or adjustments. The original data, their documentation, and DOI codes are available at the Ocean Carbon and Acidification Data System of NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), which also provides access to the merged data product. This is provided as a single global file and as four regional ones – the Arctic, Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans – under https://doi.org/10.25921/zyrq-ht66 (Lauvset et al., 2023). These bias-adjusted product files also include significant ancillary and approximated data, which were obtained by interpolation of, or calculation from, measured data. This living data update documents the GLODAPv2.2023 methods and provides a broad overview of the secondary quality control procedures and results. 

Abstract Seawater carbonate chemistry observations are increasingly necessary to study a broad array of oceanographic challenges such as ocean acidification, carbon inventory tracking, and assessment of marine carbon dioxide removal strategies. The uncertainty in a seawater carbonate chemistry observation comes from unknown random variations and systematic offsets. Here, we estimate the magnitudes of these random and systematic components of uncertainty for the discrete open‐ocean carbonate chemistry measurements in the Global Ocean Data Analysis Project 2022 update (GLODAPv2.2022). We use both an uncertainty propagation approach and a carbonate chemistry measurement “inter‐consistency” approach that quantifies the disagreement between measured carbonate chemistry variables and calculations of the same variables from other carbonate chemistry measurements. Our inter‐consistency analysis reveals that the seawater carbonate chemistry measurement community has collected and released data with a random uncertainty that averages about 1.7 times the uncertainty estimated by propagating the desired “climate‐quality” random uncertainties. However, we obtain differing random uncertainty estimates for subsets of the available data, with some subsets seemingly meeting the climate‐quality criteria. We find that seawater pH measurements on the total scale do not meet the climate‐quality criteria, though the inter‐consistency of these measurements improves (by 38%) when limited to the subset of measurements made using purified indicator dyes. We show that GLODAPv2 adjustments improve inter‐consistency for some subsets of the measurements while worsening it for others. Finally, we provide general guidance for quantifying the random uncertainty that applies for common combinations of measured and calculated values. 

Abstract. The Global Ocean Data Analysis Project (GLODAP) is asynthesis effort providing regular compilations of surface-to-bottom oceanbiogeochemical bottle data, with an emphasis on seawater inorganic carbonchemistry and related variables determined through chemical analysis ofseawater samples. GLODAPv2.2022 is an update of the previous version,GLODAPv2.2021 (Lauvset et al., 2021). The major changes are as follows: datafrom 96 new cruises were added, data coverage was extended until 2021, andfor the first time we performed secondary quality control on all sulfurhexafluoride (SF6) data. In addition, a number of changes were made todata included in GLODAPv2.2021. These changes affect specifically theSF6 data, which are now subjected to secondary quality control, andcarbon data measured on board the RV Knorr in the Indian Ocean in 1994–1995 whichare now adjusted using certified reference material (CRM) measurements made at the time. GLODAPv2.2022includes measurements from almost 1.4 million water samples from the globaloceans collected on 1085 cruises. The data for the now 13 GLODAP corevariables (salinity, oxygen, nitrate, silicate, phosphate, dissolvedinorganic carbon, total alkalinity, pH, chlorofluorocarbon-11 (CFC-11), CFC-12, CFC-113, CCl4,and SF6) have undergone extensive quality control with a focus onsystematic evaluation of bias. The data are available in two formats: (i) assubmitted by the data originator but converted to World Ocean CirculationExperiment (WOCE) exchange format and (ii) as a merged data product withadjustments applied to minimize bias. For the present annual update,adjustments for the 96 new cruises were derived by comparing those data withthe data from the 989 quality-controlled cruises in the GLODAPv2.2021 dataproduct using crossover analysis. SF6 data from all cruises wereevaluated by comparison with CFC-12 data measured on the same cruises. Fornutrients and ocean carbon dioxide (CO2) chemistry comparisons toestimates based on empirical algorithms provided additional context foradjustment decisions. The adjustments that we applied are intended to removepotential biases from errors related to measurement, calibration, and datahandling practices without removing known or likely time trends orvariations in the variables evaluated. The compiled and adjusted dataproduct is believed to be consistent to better than 0.005 in salinity, 1 % in oxygen, 2 % in nitrate, 2 % in silicate, 2 % in phosphate,4 µmol kg−1 in dissolved inorganic carbon, 4 µmol kg−1in total alkalinity, 0.01–0.02 in pH (depending on region), and 5 % inthe halogenated transient tracers. The other variables included in thecompilation, such as isotopic tracers and discrete CO2 fugacity(fCO2), were not subjected to bias comparison or adjustments. The original data, their documentation, and DOI codes are available at theOcean Carbon and Acidification Data System of NOAA NCEI (https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/ocean-carbon-acidification-data-system/oceans/GLODAPv2_2022/, last access: 15 August 2022). This site also provides access to themerged data product, which is provided as a single global file and as fourregional ones – the Arctic, Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans –under https://doi.org/10.25921/1f4w-0t92 (Lauvset et al.,2022). These bias-adjusted product files also include significant ancillaryand approximated data, which were obtained by interpolation of, orcalculation from, measured data. This living data update documents theGLODAPv2.2022 methods and provides a broad overview of the secondary qualitycontrol procedures and results. 

Abstract. The Global Ocean Data Analysis Project (GLODAP) is asynthesis effort providing regular compilations of surface-to-bottom oceanbiogeochemical data, with an emphasis on seawater inorganic carbon chemistryand related variables determined through chemical analysis of seawatersamples. GLODAPv2.2020 is an update of the previous version, GLODAPv2.2019.The major changes are data from 106 new cruises added, extension of timecoverage to 2019, and the inclusion of available (also for historicalcruises) discrete fugacity of CO2 (fCO2) values in the mergedproduct files. GLODAPv2.2020 now includes measurements from more than 1.2 million water samples from the global oceans collected on 946 cruises. Thedata for the 12 GLODAP core variables (salinity, oxygen, nitrate, silicate,phosphate, dissolved inorganic carbon, total alkalinity, pH, CFC-11, CFC-12,CFC-113, and CCl4) have undergone extensive quality control with afocus on systematic evaluation of bias. The data are available in twoformats: (i) as submitted by the data originator but updated to WOCEexchange format and (ii) as a merged data product with adjustments appliedto minimize bias. These adjustments were derived by comparing the data fromthe 106 new cruises with the data from the 840 quality-controlled cruises ofthe GLODAPv2.2019 data product using crossover analysis. Comparisons toempirical algorithm estimates provided additional context for adjustmentdecisions; this is new to this version. The adjustments are intended toremove potential biases from errors related to measurement, calibration, anddata-handling practices without removing known or likely time trends orvariations in the variables evaluated. The compiled and adjusted dataproduct is believed to be consistent to better than 0.005 in salinity, 1 % in oxygen, 2 % in nitrate, 2 % in silicate, 2 % in phosphate,4 µmol kg−1 in dissolved inorganic carbon, 4 µmol kg−1in total alkalinity, 0.01–0.02 in pH (depending on region), and 5 % inthe halogenated transient tracers. The other variables included in thecompilation, such as isotopic tracers and discrete fCO2, were notsubjected to bias comparison or adjustments. The original data and their documentation and DOI codes are available at theOcean Carbon Data System of NOAA NCEI(https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/ocads/oceans/GLODAPv2_2020/, lastaccess: 20 June 2020). This site also provides access to the merged dataproduct, which is provided as a single global file and as four regional ones– the Arctic, Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans –under https://doi.org/10.25921/2c8h-sa89 (Olsen et al., 2020). Thesebias-adjusted product files also include significant ancillary andapproximated data. These were obtained by interpolation of, or calculationfrom, measured data. This living data update documents the GLODAPv2.2020methods and provides a broad overview of the secondary quality controlprocedures and results. 

Abstract The ocean carbonate system is critical to monitor because it plays a major role in regulating Earth's climate and marine ecosystems. It is monitored using a variety of measurements, and it is commonly understood that all components of seawater carbonate chemistry can be calculated when at least two carbonate system variables are measured. However, several recent studies have highlighted systematic discrepancies between calculated and directly measured carbonate chemistry variables and these discrepancies have large implications for efforts to measure and quantify the changing ocean carbon cycle. Given this, the Ocean Carbonate System Intercomparison Forum (OCSIF) was formed as a working group through the Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry program to coordinate and recommend research to quantify and/or reduce uncertainties and disagreements in measurable seawater carbonate system measurements and calculations, identify unknown or overlooked sources of these uncertainties, and provide recommendations for making progress on community efforts despite these uncertainties. With this paper we aim to (1) summarize recent progress toward quantifying and reducing carbonate system uncertainties; (2) advocate for research to further reduce and better quantify carbonate system measurement uncertainties; (3) present a small amount of new data, metadata, and analysis related to uncertainties in carbonate system measurements; and (4) restate and explain the rationales behind several OCSIF recommendations. We focus on open ocean carbonate chemistry, and caution that the considerations we discuss become further complicated in coastal, estuarine, and sedimentary environments.