ALBERT

Description: Marine particulate organic carbon stable isotope ratios (δ13CPOC) provide insights into understanding carbon cycling through the atmosphere, ocean and biosphere. They have for example been used to trace the input of anthropogenic carbon in the marine ecosystem due to the distinct isotopically light signature of anthropogenic emissions. However, δ13CPOC is also significantly altered during photosynthesis by phytoplankton, which complicates its interpretation. For such purposes, robust spatio-temporal coverage of δ13CPOC observations is essential. We collected all such available data sets and merged and homogenized them to provide the largest available marine δ13CPOC data set (https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.929931; Verwega et al., 2021). The data set consists of 4732 data points covering all major ocean basins beginning in the 1960s. We describe the compiled raw data, compare different observational methods, and provide key insights in the temporal and spatial distribution that is consistent with previously observed large-scale patterns. The main different sample collection methods (bottle, intake, net, trap) are generally consistent with each other when comparing within regions. An analysis of 1990s median δ13CPOC values in a meridional section across the best-covered Atlantic Ocean shows relatively high values (≥-22 ‰) in the low latitudes (

Description: A new version (2022) is available: https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.946915 Marine particulate organic carbon-13 stable isotope ratios (δ13CPOC) provide additional constraints and insights on the cycling of carbon from dissolved pools to the marine ecosystem including anthropogenic contributions. For such purposes, robust spatio-temporal coverage of δ13CPOC observations is essential. We collected all such available known data sets, merged and uniformed them to provide – to the best of our knowledge – the largest available marine δ13CPOC data set. The data set consists of 4732 data points covering all major ocean basins from the 1960s to 2010s. We provide the data in twenty-one different files for best direct application on specific research purposes: a csv file including the 4732 δ13CPOC measurements, their anomalies relative to their mean −23.96 ‰ as well as all available meta-information a NetCDF file including an interpolation onto the 1°x1°-resolution grid based on the World Ocean Atlas (WOA18) data product of all δ13CPOC measurements with full spatio-temporal metadata, averaging all observations from each year together, each year accounting for a time increment on the time axis twelve NetCDF files - one for each month of the year - including an interpolation onto the 1°x1°-resolution grid based on the World Ocean Atlas (WOA18) data product of all δ13CPOC measurements with full spatio-temporal metadata, averaging only observations from the respective month, each year accounting for a time increment on the time axis a NetCDF file including an interpolation onto a 1.8°x3.6°-resolution grid of a δ13CPOC simulating model of all δ13CPOC measurements with full spatial metadata six NetCDF files – one for each decade between the 1960s and 2010s – including an interpolation onto the 1.8°x3.6°-resolution grid of a δ13CPOC simulating model of all δ13CPOC measurements with full spatial metadata and available sample year information