Carbon Retention In A Colored Ocean (CARIACO), Bio-geochemical and Bio-optical Data from the Cariaco Basin, Venezuela

The CARIACO Program, supported by NSF, Venezuela's CONICIT, and NASA, is an oceanographic time series station that examines processes that affect carbon cycling in the Cariaco Basin, off the coast of Venezuela. The time series is located at 10.5N, 64.40W, and consists of hydrographic and bio-geochemical data collected on a monthly basis from ship. The series includes phytoplankton biomass, productivity and hydrographic observations, as well as bio-optical observations to assist ocean color satellite product validation. Carbon fluxes to depth are examined with a sediment trap array.