Dissolved inorganic carbon, total alkalinity, pH on Total Scale, nutrients and other variables collected from profile and discrete sample observations using CTD, Niskin bottle and other instruments onboard Henry Bigelow in the Gulf of Maine, Georges Bank, and Mid-Atlantic Bight from 2018-05-23 to 2018-06-04 (NCEI Accession 0183469)

This archival package contains dissolved inorganic carbon, Total alkalinity, pH on Total Scale, nutrients and other variables measured from profile discrete measurement in the Northeast coast of the US in 2018. Increasing amounts of atmospheric carbon dioxide from human industrial activities are causing changes in global ocean carbon chemistry ultimately resulting in a reduction in pH, a process termed ocean acidification. Studies have demonstrated adverse effects on calcifying organisms, particularly some invertebrates, corals, sea urchins, pteropods, and coccolithophores, but also on species of commercial interest such as oysters or crabs. In support of the coastal monitoring and research objectives of the NOAA Ocean Acidification Program (OAP), the Ecosystem Monitoring Cruises (ECOMON) are utilized to collect water samples to measure water column inorganic carbon and hydrographic parameters including nutrients. Samples are collected at three depths (surface, mid-depth and near bottom) at select stations on a quarterly basis in the northeastern Atlantic continental shelf region off the United States. Water samples are sent to and analyzed by scientists at the Atlantic Oceanographic & Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) for dissolved inorganic carbon, pH and total alkalinity concentrations. Additional samples are analyzed for nutrient concentrations at the University of Maine. These data are used to monitor short-long term coastal ocean acidification trends.