Carbon dioxide, hydrographic, and chemical data obtained during the R/V Meteor Cruise 22/5 in the South Atlantic Ocean (WOCE Section A10, December 1992--January 1993)

Abstract

This documentation discusses the procedures and methods used to measure total carbon dioxide (TCO{sub 2}), total alkalinity at Hydrographic stations as well as the underway partial pressure of CO{sub 2} (pCO{sub 2}) during the R/V Meteor Cruise M22/5 in the South Atlantic Ocean (Section A10). Conducted as part of the World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE), the cruise began in Rio de Janeiro on 27 December 1992, and ended after 36 days at sea in Capetown, South Africa on 31 January 1993. Instructions for accessing the data are provided. TCO{sub 2} was measured using tow automated sample processors for extracting CO{sub 2} from seawater samples which were coupled to a Coulometer for detection of the extracted CO{sub 2}. The overall precision and accuracy of the analyses was {+-} 1.9 {micro}mol/kg. Samples collected for total alkalinity were measured by potentiometric titration; precision was {+-} 2.0 {micro}mol/kg. Underway pCO{sub 2} was measured by Infra Red (IR) Photometry; precision was {+-} 2.0 {micro}atm. From these cruises the large-scale three-dimensional distribution of temperature, salinity, and chemical constituents, including the carbonate system parameters will be mapped. Knowledge of these parameters and their initial conditions will allow determination of heat and water transports as well as carbon transport. An understanding of these transports will contribute to the understanding of processes which are relevant for climate change. This section in the South Atlantic subtropical Gyre is especially relevant for CO{sub 2} transport because it crosses both the Brazil and the Benguela Boundary Currents.