DOI: 10.25921/4xkx-ss49
title: Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas Database Version 2020 (SOCATv2020) (NCEI Accession 0210711)

description: This dataset consists of the Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas (SOCAT) data product files. SOCAT is a synthesis activity by the international marine carbon research community and has more than 100 contributors worldwide. SOCAT provides access to synthesis and gridded, quality controlled, observational products of surface ocean fCO2 (fugacity of carbon dioxide) for the global oceans and coastal seas. SOCAT version 2020 has 28.2 million quality-controlled surface ocean fCO2 (fugacity of CO2) observations with an estimated accuracy of better than 5 μatm and a WOCE flag of 2 (good) from 1957 to 2020 for the global oceans and coastal seas. In addition, 2.3 million values with an estimated accuracy of 5 to 10 μatm are available. During quality control, marine scientists assign a flag to each data set, as well as WOCE flags of 2 (good), 3 (questionable) or 4 (bad) to individual fCO2 values. Data sets are assigned flags of A and B for an accuracy of better than 2 μatm, flags of C and D for an accuracy of better than 5 μatm and a flag of E for an accuracy of better than 10 μatm. Bakker et al. (2016) describe the quality control criteria used in SOCAT versions 3, 4, 5, 6, 2019 and 2020. Quality control comments for individual data sets can be accessed via the SOCAT Data Set Viewer. All data sets, where data quality has been deemed acceptable, have been made public. The main SOCAT synthesis files and the gridded products contain all data sets with an estimated accuracy of better than 5 µatm (flags of A to D) and fCO2 values with a flag of 2. Access to data sets with an estimated accuracy of 5 to 10 (flag of E) and fCO2 values with flags of 3 and 4 is via additional data products and the Data Set Viewer (Table 8 in Bakker et al., 2016). SOCAT publishes a global gridded product with a 1° longitude by 1° latitude resolution. A second product with a higher resolution of 0.25° longitude by 0.25° latitude is available for the coastal seas. Gridded products are available monthly, per year and per decade. Two powerful, interactive, online viewers, the Data Set Viewer and the Gridded Data Viewer (www.socat.info), enable investigation of the SOCAT synthesis and gridded data products. SOCAT data products can be downloaded. Matlab code is available at www.socat.info for reading these files. Ocean Data View also provides access to the SOCAT data products (www.socat.info). SOCAT data products are discoverable, accessible and citable. SOCAT versions 3 to 2020 should be cited as Bakker et al., 2016 (until a publication on versions 4 to 2020 is published). The SOCAT Data Use Statement (www.socat.info) asks users to generously acknowledge the contribution of SOCAT scientists by invitation to co-authorship, especially for data providers in regional studies, and/or reference to relevant scientific articles. The SOCAT website (www.socat.info) provides a single access point for online viewers, downloadable data sets, the Data Use Statement, a list of contributors and an overview of scientific publications on and using SOCAT. Automation of data upload and initial data checks allows annual releases of SOCAT from version 4 onwards. SOCAT enables quantification of the ocean carbon sink and ocean acidification, as well as evaluation of sensor data and ocean biogeochemical models. More than 329 peer-reviewed scientific publications and 80 high-impact reports cite SOCAT. SOCAT represents a milestone in biogeochemical and climate research. SOCAT informs policy and high-profile climate negotiations. Maintenance and annual updates of the SOCAT product require sustained funding and community involvement.