| Contributors | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Newton, Jan | University of Washington (UW) | Principal Investigator |
| Murray, James W. | University of Washington (UW) | Co-Principal Investigator |
| Chandler, Cynthia L. | Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI BCO-DMO) | BCO-DMO Data Manager |
See Platform deployments for cruise specific documentation
| Parameter | Description | Units |
| sta | station number from event log, T denotes the ship was in transit between stations for some portion of the day light hours, thus the missing positional information. | |
| date | date as YYYYMMDD, year, month and day | |
| lat_n | nominal latitude for the reported station (- denotes South) | whole degrees |
| lon_n | nominal longitude for the reported station (- denotes West) | whole degrees |
| PAR | Incident PAR (daily totals) | E/m^2/d |
| Dataset-specific Instrument Name | Photosynthetically Available Radiation Sensors |
| Generic Instrument Name | Photosynthetically Available Radiation Sensor |
| Generic Instrument Description | A PAR sensor measures photosynthetically available (or active) radiation. The sensor measures photon flux density (photons per second per square meter) within the visible wavelength range (typically 400 to 700 nanometers). PAR gives an indication of the total energy available to plants for photosynthesis. This instrument name is used when specific type, make and model are not known. |
| Website | |
| Platform | R/V Thomas G. Thompson |
| Start Date | 1992-01-30 |
| End Date | 1992-03-13 |
| Description | Purpose: Spring Survey Cruise; 12°N-12°S at 140°W
TT007 was one of five cruises conducted in 1992 in support of the U.S. Equatorial Pacific (EqPac) Process Study. The five EqPac cruises aboard R/V Thomas G. Thompson included two repeat meridional sections (12°N - 12°S), 2 equatorial surveys, and a benthic survey (all at 140° W). The scientific objectives of this study were to observe the processes in the Equatorial Pacific controlling the fluxes of carbon and related elements between the atmosphere, euphotic zone, and deep ocean. As luck would have it, the survey window coincided with an El Nino event. A bonus for the research team. Methods & Sampling PI: Jan Newton and James Murray of: University of Washington dataset: Incident PAR, daily totals dates: February 02, 1992 to March 11, 1992 location: N: 12.0 S: -12.0 W: -140.0 E: -135.0 project/cruise: EQPAC/TT007 - Spring Survey ship: Thomas Thompson PI-Notes: A problem of excess signal developed in the data from 17-22 Feb. It turned out to be caused from rain on a unshielded cable. After wrapping the cable (1700, 22-Feb) the problem went away. Data for this period were corrected to subtract the excess signal. On days Feb 13 and 23, missing data (10 minute values) were replaced with extrapolated values to reconstruct the daily profile. On days Feb 10, 11, 12, Mar 2 and 8 too much data lost and reconstruction was not attempted. Note: If interested, the raw daily light counts recorded at 10 minute intervals is available from the Data Management Office. |
| Website | |
| Platform | R/V Thomas G. Thompson |
| Start Date | 1992-03-19 |
| End Date | 1992-04-15 |
| Description | Purpose: Spring Time Series; Equator, 140°W
TT008 was one of five cruises conducted in 1992 in support of the U.S. Equatorial Pacific (EqPac) Process Study. The five EqPac cruises aboard R/V Thomas G. Thompson included two repeat meridional sections (12°N - 12°S), 2 equatorial surveys, and a benthic survey (all at 140° W). The scientific objectives of this study were to observe the processes in the Equatorial Pacific controlling the fluxes of carbon and related elements between the atmosphere, euphotic zone, and deep ocean. As luck would have it, the survey window coincided with an El Nino event. A bonus for the research team. Methods & Sampling PI: Jan Newton and James Murray of: University of Washington dataset: Incident PAR, daily totals dates: March 23, 1992 to March 24, 1992 location: N: 0 S: 0 W: -140 E: -140 project/cruise: EQPAC/TT008 - Spring Time Series ship: Thomas Thompson Note: If interested, the raw daily light counts recorded at 10 minute intervals is available from the Data Management Office. |
| Website | |
| Platform | R/V Thomas G. Thompson |
| Start Date | 1992-08-05 |
| End Date | 1992-09-18 |
| Description | Purpose: Fall Survey; 12°N-12°S at 140°W
TT011 was one of five cruises conducted in 1992 in support of the U.S. Equatorial Pacific (EqPac) Process Study. The five EqPac cruises aboard R/V Thomas G. Thompson included two repeat meridional sections (12°N - 12°S), 2 equatorial surveys, and a benthic survey (all at 140° W). The scientific objectives of this study were to observe the processes in the Equatorial Pacific controlling the fluxes of carbon and related elements between the atmosphere, euphotic zone, and deep ocean. As luck would have it, the survey window coincided with an El Nino event. A bonus for the research team. Methods & Sampling PI: Jan Newton and James Murray of: University of Washington dataset: Incident PAR, daily totals dates: August 05, 1992 to September 17, 1992 location: N: 12 S: -12 W: -142 E: -135 project/cruise: EQPAC/TT011 - Fall Survey ship: Thomas Thompson Note: If interested, the raw daily light counts recorded at 10 minute intervals is available from the Data Management Office. |
The U.S. EqPac process study consisted of repeat meridional sections (12°N -12°S) across the equator in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific from 95°W to 170°W during 1992. The major scientific program was focused at 140° W consisting of two meridional surveys, two equatorial surveys, and a benthic survey aboard the R/V Thomas Thompson. Long-term deployments of current meter and sediment trap arrays augmented the survey cruises. NOAA conducted boreal spring and fall sections east and west of 140°W from the R/V Baldridge and R/V Discoverer. Meteorological and sea surface observations were obtained from NOAA's in place TOGA-TAO buoy network.
The scientific objectives of this study were to determine the fluxes of carbon and related elements, and the processes controlling these fluxes between the Equatorial Pacific euphotic zone and the atmosphere and deep ocean. A broad overview of the program at the 140°W site is given by Murray et al. (Oceanography, 5: 134-142, 1992). A full description of the Equatorial Pacific Process Study, including the international context and the scientific results, appears in a series of Deep-Sea Research Part II special volumes:
Topical Studies in Oceanography, A U.S. JGOFS Process Study in the Equatorial Pacific (1995), Deep-Sea Research Part II, Volume 42, No. 2/3.
Topical Studies in Oceanography, A U.S. JGOFS Process Study in the Equatorial Pacific. Part 2 (1996), Deep-Sea Research Part II, Volume 43, No. 4/6.
Topical Studies in Oceanography, A U.S. JGOFS Process Study in the Equatorial Pacific (1997), Deep-Sea Research Part II, Volume 44, No. 9/10.
Topical Studies in Oceanography, The Equatorial Pacific JGOFS Synthesis (2002), Deep-Sea Research Part II, Volume 49, Nos. 13/14.
The United States Joint Global Ocean Flux Study was a national component of international JGOFS and an integral part of global climate change research.
The U.S. launched the Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (JGOFS) in the late 1980s to study the ocean carbon cycle. An ambitious goal was set to understand the controls on the concentrations and fluxes of carbon and associated nutrients in the ocean. A new field of ocean biogeochemistry emerged with an emphasis on quality measurements of carbon system parameters and interdisciplinary field studies of the biological, chemical and physical process which control the ocean carbon cycle. As we studied ocean biogeochemistry, we learned that our simple views of carbon uptake and transport were severely limited, and a new "wave" of ocean science was born. U.S. JGOFS has been supported primarily by the U.S. National Science Foundation in collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Department of Energy and the Office of Naval Research. U.S. JGOFS, ended in 2005 with the conclusion of the Synthesis and Modeling Project (SMP).