Dissolved inorganic nutrients in the western Mediterranean Sea (2004–2017)

Abstract

Abstract. Long-term time series are a fundamental prerequisite to understanding and detecting climate shifts and trends. Understanding the complex interplay of changing ocean variables and the biological implication for marine ecosystems requires extensive data collection for monitoring, hypothesis testing, and validation of modelling products. In marginal seas, such as the Mediterranean Sea, there are still monitoring gaps, both in time and in space. To contribute to filling these gaps, an extensive dataset of dissolved inorganic nutrient observations (nitrate, phosphate, and silicate) was collected between 2004 and 2017 in the western Mediterranean Sea and subjected to rigorous quality control techniques to provide to the scientific community a publicly available, long-term, quality-controlled, internally consistent biogeochemical data product. The data product includes 870 stations of dissolved inorganic nutrients, including temperature and salinity, sampled during 24 cruises. Details of the quality control (primary and secondary quality control) applied are reported. The data are available in PANGAEA (https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.904172, Belgacem et al., 2019).

Seawater physics and chemistry along the Med-SHIP transects in the Mediterranean Sea in 2016

“…These have been (and will be further in future) the aims of specific scientific papers (e.g. 21 , 22 , 79 , 109 , 110 ). The reader is invited to refer to those sources to get insight into the quality of a key multidisciplinary database that sets the baseline for future repetitions in the framework of the Med-SHIP initiative.…”

Climatological distribution of dissolved inorganic nutrients in the Western Mediterranean Sea (1981–2017)

“…These profiles cover the period 1981-2017 and come from four main sources, i.e. the Medar/MEDATLAS (1981( , Fichaut et al, 2003, the recently published CNR_DIN_WMED_20042017 biogeochemical dataset (2004-2017) (Belgacem et al, 2020), the SeaDataNet data product (2001)(2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006)(2007)(2008)(2009)(2010)(2011)(2012)(2013)(2014)(2015)(2016) and other data collected during MedSHIP programs (Schroeder et al, 2015), GLODAPv2 (https://www.glodap.info/) and CARIMED (http://hdl.handle.net/10508/11313) data products. All datasets are a selection of oceanographic cruises carried out within the framework of European projects or by regional institutions.…”

“…Nutrient average concentrations and standard deviation in the upper m. All products were interpolated on 1° grid resolution (see Figure S2(Belgacem et al, 2020)). …”

A 12-years long (2010–2021) hydrological and biogeochemical dataset in the Sicily Channel (Mediterranean Sea)

“…Moreover, the export of nutrients through the IW causes the deep waters of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea to be more nutrient depleted than deep water in all other parts of the global ocean (Krom et al, 2005). Another peculiarity still debated is the higher molar NO3:PO4 ratio in the deeper water of the MS compared to the "classical" world oceans Redfield ratio, indicating a general P-limited regime, which becomes stronger along a west-to-east gradient (Belgacem et al, 2020). In this context, the aim of this paper is to compile a large dataset of hydrological (temperature, salinity and pressure) and biogeochemical (nitrate, phosphate and silicate) properties from in situ data collected between 2010 and 2021 in the SC, filling up a gap of information in a key area of the MS, where the exchange between the two basins is taking place.…”

“…The available dataset is a valuable tool in support to the evaluation of the long-term variability and evolution of the Mediterranean circulation and water masses, and provides also a useful contribution for the implementation of models aimed at describing the physical-chemical processes occurring in this area. The dataset could also be integrated in the recently published climatology of dissolved inorganic nutrients (Belgacem et al, 2020), to expand its geographic domain.…”