SOLAS Endorsed Project Highlight: Surface Ocean CO₂ Atlas
The Surface Ocean CO₂ Atlas (SOCAT) is a synthesis activity for quality-controlled, surface ocean fCO₂ (fugacity of carbon dioxide) observations by the international marine carbon research community (>100 contributors). The SOCAT data is publicly available, discoverable and citable. SOCAT has been endorsed by SOLAS since April 2007.
The ocean absorbs a quarter of the global CO₂ emissions from human activity. It is unclear how ocean CO₂ uptake will evolve, as humankind moves towards net zero CO₂ emissions. SOCAT has an annual public release of in situ quality-controlled fCO₂ measurements, typically in mid-June. The SOCAT community-led synthesis product is a key step in the value chain based on in situ CO₂ measurements of the oceans, which provides policy makers with essential information on ocean CO₂ uptake in climate negotiations. The global need for accurate knowledge of ocean CO₂ uptake and its variation (including ocean acidification) highlights the need for sustained funding of in situ surface ocean CO₂ observations and their synthesis. In 2021, a total of 74 peer-reviewed papers, reports and book chapters are published based on SOCAT products.
Find more about SOCAT here.
