Progress report for
Annual, public releases of the Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas (SOCAT)
Achievement at a glance
The Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas (SOCAT, www.socat.info) is a synthesis activity by international marine carbon scientists (>100 contributors) with annual public releases. SOCAT version 6 has been made public on 19 June 2018. SOCAT version 6 has 23.4 million quality-controlled surface ocean fCO2 (fugacity of carbon dioxide) observations from 1957 to 2017 for the global oceans and coastal seas, as well as additional calibrated sensor data. SOCAT enables quantification of the ocean carbon sink, ocean acidification, and evaluation of ocean biogeochemical sensors and models in a changing world. SOCAT represents a milestone in biogeochemical and climate research and in informing policy.Challenges faced in implementation
SOCAT is at risk without sustained funding for accurate, high quality surface ocean CO2 observations and data synthesis in countries around the world. Shortage of funding for SOCAT makes it increasingly difficult to maintain the SOCAT synthesis and to document the SOCAT synthesis.Beneficiaries
Beneficiaries include scientists in the fields of ocean biogeochemistry, the global carbon cycle, climate and the Global Carbon Budget, as well as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, international policy makers, and ultimately the general public.