Underway fCO2 measurement in the western Arctic Ocean CHINARE2012, 2012

These data report the surface and atmospheric CO2 levels in the western Arctic Ocean during the Chinese Arctic Research Expedition cruise in summer 2012. Surface water fCO2 measurements was collected continuously through a high-resolution underway CO2 analyzer (General Oceanic, Inc.). Ancillary data include sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface salinity (SSS), atmospheric pressure. Key processes under investigation include the uptake of CO2 by newly exposed surface waters following sea ice melt, and the contribution of riverine DIC and DOC to the Arctic Ocean net carbon uptake. Each of these processes is projected to change in a warming Arctic. Understanding carbon fluxes and the mechanisms controlling them in the Arctic Ocean is a prerequisite for confident prediction of future changes and climate feedbacks. These high-resolution underway fCO2 data could be used to constrain air-sea fluxes of carbon dioxide and their spatial variability.