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    • Compilation of dissolved organic matter (DOM) data obtained from global ocean observations from 1994 to 2021, Version 2 (NCEI Accession 0227166)

    Metadata Updated: December 1, 2025

    This dataset consists of measurements of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and other chemical and hydrographic parameters obtained during the global ocean observations from 1994-01-01 to 2021-05-29. Measurements of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the open ocean have increased greatly since the late 1980's, spurred by the growth in scientific interest directed at the ocean carbon cycle. Analytical quality for determining the elemental concentrations of DOM was commonly low in those early years, but through great effort and use of consensus reference materials its quality has improved with time. The data in this compilation should be used with the trajectory of improved analytical quality with time in mind. DOM data generated by many laboratories around the world are typically made available in diverse, regional data archives, making them less available than necessary for the data value to be maximized. The effort here was to make ship-collected bottle data accessible more directly and in uniform format. The emphasis was on spatial coverage of the global ocean, so the well-known and ongoing time-series data (such as the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study and Hawaiian Ocean Time-series) are not included; nor are coastal waters well represented in this first version. While the focus of this compilation is largely on dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and total dissolved nitrogen (TDN), we extended coverage to include the less frequently determined DOM isotopes (13C, 14C, 15N), select wavelengths and a single spectral slope of colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM), and DOM composition (i.e., dissolved combined neutral sugars). To the extent possible, the DOM data have been complemented with hydrographic data (e.g, temperature and salinity), other biogeochemical variables (e.g., oxygen, nutrients), the inorganic carbon system [e.g., dissolved organic carbon (with isotopes when available), pH, and total alkalinity], and anthropogenic (chlorofluorocarbons, sulfur hexafluoride, carbon tetrachloride) and natural tracers (neon, helium, tritium). A very few data are included for biological variables such as bacterial abundance and chlorophyll a concentrations. These data are from all ocean basins taken from 224 cruises in the global ocean, providing DOC concentrations largely from the full water column and TDN concentrations in the surface 250 m.

    Access & Use Information

    License: No license information was provided. If this work was prepared by an officer or employee of the United States government as part of that person's official duties it is considered a U.S. Government Work.

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    Dates

    Metadata Date 2025-11-29T07:23:38Z
    Metadata Created Date April 10, 2021
    Metadata Updated Date December 1, 2025
    Reference Date(s) March 26, 2021 (publication), November 4, 2022 (revision)
    Frequency Of Update asNeeded

    Metadata Source

    Harvested from NOAA/NESDIS/ncei/accessions

    Other Data Resources

    Graphic Preview

    Preview graphic

    Additional Metadata

    Resource Type Dataset
    Metadata Date 2025-11-29T07:23:38Z
    Metadata Created Date April 10, 2021
    Metadata Updated Date December 1, 2025
    Reference Date(s) March 26, 2021 (publication), November 4, 2022 (revision)
    Responsible Party (Point of Contact)
    Contact Email
    Guid gov.noaa.nodc:0227166
    Access Constraints Cite as: Hansell, Dennis A.; Carlson, Craig A.; Amon, Rainer M. W.; Álvarez-Salgado, X. Antón; Yamashita, Youhei; Romera-Castillo, Cristina; Bif, Mariana B. (2021). Compilation of dissolved organic matter (DOM) data obtained from global ocean observations from 1994 to 2021, Version 2 (NCEI Accession 0227166). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://doi.org/10.25921/s4f4-ye35. Accessed [date]., Use liability: NOAA and NCEI cannot provide any warranty as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of furnished data. Users assume responsibility to determine the usability of these data. The user is responsible for the results of any application of this data for other than its intended purpose.
    Bbox East Long 180
    Bbox North Lat 90
    Bbox South Lat -78.6
    Bbox West Long -180
    Coupled Resource
    Frequency Of Update asNeeded
    Graphic Preview Description Preview graphic
    Graphic Preview File https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/metadata/landing-page/bin/gfx?id=gov.noaa.nodc:0227166
    Graphic Preview Type PNG
    Harvest Object Id 1b9dd530-3e88-4450-bc05-614ad729b25b
    Harvest Source Id c084a438-6f6b-470d-93e0-16aeddb9f513
    Harvest Source Title NOAA/NESDIS/ncei/accessions
    Licence accessLevel: Public
    Lineage
    Metadata Language eng
    Metadata Type geospatial
    Old Spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[-180.0, -78.6], [180.0, -78.6], [180.0, 90.0], [-180.0, 90.0], [-180.0, -78.6]]]}
    Progress completed
    Spatial Data Service Type
    Spatial Reference System
    Spatial Harvester True
    Temporal Extent Begin 1994-01-01
    Temporal Extent End 2021-05-29

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