BCO-DMO: Providing Access to Trace Element and Isotope Data from the Atlantic Ocean and Beyond

The International GEOTRACES program aims to increase our knowledge of trace elements and isotopes (TEIs) in the oceans, specifically their quantities, distribution, and roles played in biogeochemical cycles. Investigations of TEIs in the ocean are critical for further understanding of marine ecosystem functioning, global carbon and nutrient cycles, and the ocean’s response to changing environmental conditions. In 2010 and 2011, U.S. GEOTRACES investigators conducted cruises along two North Atlantic transects. Hydrographic and atmospheric sampling were conducted resulting in numerous datasets of TEI concentrations and associated data from across the North Atlantic. The Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office (BCO-DMO) is responsible for the management, sharing, and long-term preservation of these datasets and others resulting from investigators funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). As the designated U.S. GEOTRACES Data Assembly Center, BCO-DMO works closely with investigators to ensure quality and completeness of both the data and documentation to foster discovery and re-use by potential collaborators. Dataset documentation includes calibration information, quality flag definitions, and descriptions of standard sampling and analysis protocols used. In addition to data from the North Atlantic Transect cruises, data from the Eastern Pacific Zonal Transect cruises, as well as other GEOTRACES-related projects (e.g. CoFeMUG) are freely available from BCO-DMO. Related TEI data from legacy programs, including the U.S. Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (JGOFS), are also available for use by investigators, enabling more complete syntheses. This presentation will highlight relevant TEI datasets managed by BCO-DMO as well as the tools available for data discovery and visualization.