ALBERT

Description: Discrete seawater samples for dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and total alkalinity (TA) were collected from the Polarstern (https://sensor.awi.de/?site=search&q=vessel:polarstern:ctd_sbe9plus_321) and Ocean City (https://sensor.awi.de/?site=search&q=vessel:polarstern:ctd_sbe9plus_935) CTD/Rosette systems during the Multidisciplinary drifting observatory for the study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) expedition, 20 September 2019 – 14 October 2020. Following Dickson et al. (2007), seawater samples were collected between 30 October 2019 and 28 September 2020 in borosilicate (3.3) bottles (250 ml), fixed with saturated mercuric chloride (HgCl₂) solution (100 µl), capped with greased (Apiezon® L) ground glass stoppers secured by insulating tape, and stored dark +4°C until post-cruise analysis at the Institute of Marine Research (IMR, Norway), University of East Anglia (UEA, UK), and Hokkaido University (Japan). DIC was determined by coulometric titration (Johnson et al., 1985) using a Versatile INstrument for the Determination of Total inorganic carbon and titration Alkalinity (VINDTA 3C, Marianda, Germany) at UEA, a VINDTA 3D at IMR, and a custom-built extraction system at Hokkaido University (Ono et al., 1998). TA was determined by potentiometric titration using a VINDTA 3C at UEA, a Versatile Instrument for the Determination of Titration Alkalinity (VINDTA 3S, Marianda, Germany) at IMR, and a TA analyzer ATT-05 (Kimoto Electric Co., Ltd., Japan) at Hokkaido University. The accuracy for both DIC and TA was set at IMR and UEA by routine analysis of certified reference material (CRM batch #182, #191) distributed by A. G. Dickson (Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, CA, USA). Reference materials (Batch AR and AU; KANSO Technos Co., Ltd., Osaka, Japan), traceable to the Scripps CO₂ CRM, were used at Hokkaido University. Analytical precision for DIC and TA content is 〈 ±2 μmol/kg and 〈 ±2 μmol/kg, respectively, based on CRM replicates. Based on secondary quality control (Jutterström et al., 2010; Tanhua et al., 2010), DIC and TA were adjusted by -8 µmol/kg and -23 µmol/kg, respectively, for events PS122/1_7-49, PS122/1_8-46, PS122/1_9-50, and PS122/1_10-45. Data quality is indicated by flags following the consolidated WOCE system of Jiang et al. (2022).

Description: The field of oceanography is transitioning from data-poor to data-rich, thanks in part to increased deployment of in-situ platforms and sensors, such as those that instrument the US-funded Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI). However, generating science-ready data products from these sensors, particularly those making biogeochemical measurements, often requires extensive end-user calibration and validation procedures, which can present a significant barrier. Openly available community-developed and -vetted Best Practices contribute to overcoming such barriers, but collaboratively developing user-friendly Best Practices can be challenging. Here we describe the process undertaken by the NSF-funded OOI Biogeochemical Sensor Data Working Group to develop Best Practices for creating science-ready biogeochemical data products from OOI data, culminating in the publication of the GOOS-endorsed OOI Biogeochemical Sensor Data Best Practices and User Guide. For Best Practices related to ocean observatories, engaging observatory staff is crucial, but having a “user-defined” process ensures the final product addresses user needs. Our process prioritized bringing together a diverse team and creating an inclusive environment where all participants could effectively contribute. Incorporating the perspectives of a wide range of experts and prospective end users through an iterative review process that included “Beta Testers’’ enabled us to produce a final product that combines technical information with a user-friendly structure that illustrates data analysis pipelines via flowcharts and worked examples accompanied by pseudo-code. Our process and its impact on improving the accessibility and utility of the end product provides a roadmap for other groups undertaking similar community-driven activities to develop and disseminate new Ocean Best Practices.