Brief introduction and overview of data-management policy

Gideon Henderson

http://www.geotraces.org/

Guiding mission

To identify processes and quantify fluxes that control the distributions of key trace elements and isotopes in the ocean, and to establish the sensitivity of these distributions to changing environmental conditions.

Iron as a limiting nutrient in HNLC regions

Input fluxes of bioactive metals

Iron is not the only trace metal crucial for ocean biology

How does the ocean system vary with time?

How does the ocean system vary with time?

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0 50000 100000 150000 200000 250000 300000 350000 400000

Atm

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O2

Proxy records of past nutrient use

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Holocene LGM

Antarctic

15N

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Present ignorance: All deep ocean Fe data

Models are based on this limited knowledge

Model of Fe cycle(Parekh et al. 2005)

Model of ecosystem limitation(Moore et al, 2004)

NERC Consortium Panel 13th November 2006

Present ignorance: Calibration of proxies

Macro versus micro nutrients

Fe (nmol/kg)

Macro versus micro nutrients

Programme Themes

Theme 1: Fluxes and processes at ocean interfaces Atmospheric deposition Continental run-off The sediment-water boundary Ocean crust

Theme 2: Internal cycling Uptake and removal from surface waters Uptake and regeneration in the sub-surface ocean Regeneration at the seafloor Physical circulation

Theme 3: Development of proxies for past change Factors controlling ‘direct’ proxy distribution in the ocean Factors influencing the distribution of ‘indirect’ proxies in the ocean Palaeoceanographic tracers based on sediment flux

Interactions with other programmes

Collaborations with other programs is a mutually-beneficial asset. GEOTRACES can contribute to multiple programs and benefit from others.

IMBER: Interaction between TEIs and marine ecosystemsLOICZ: Estuaries, ground-water discharge, bring in trace metals SOLAS: Atmospheric deposition, monitoring stationsCLIVAR: Share high-quality hydrography and modeling; INTER-RIDGE: Sources, time variability, plume typically beyond RIDGEPAGES: Paleo proxy calibration Time-series:Make use of existing stations (HOTS, BATS, etc)IPY: Seven EOIs submitted in various countries including:

BONUS (Geraldine Sarthou)ZERO&DRAKE (Hein de Baar)US GEOTRACES (Bob Anderson)Australian GEOTRACES (Ed Butler)

SCHEMATIC (!) ocean sections for GEOTRACES

Where is GEOTRACES?

Informal discussion

International workshop - Toulouse 2003

SCOR sponsorship and first Planning Group meeting - 2004

Science Plan written by Planning Group with extensive input from wider community

Data management sub-committee established and meets - 2005

Science Plan published - late 2006

First Scientific Steering Committee meeting - December 2006

First cruises - intercalibration and IPY cruises planned for 2007/2008

SCHEMATIC (!) ocean sections for GEOTRACES

How much data in GEOTRACES?

12 sections, 50 stations per cruise, 20 water depths per station = 12,000 positions

12 key parameters, plus hydrography, nutrients, stable isotopes, supplemental measurements. Up to 25 measurements per position. = 300,000 datapoints

Plus process studies, might double this.

Probably still looking at less 1,000,000 datapoints for GEOTRACES

GEOTRACES - Data management meeting

Dr Juan Brown, British Oceanographic Data CentreDr Robert M. Key, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences ProgramDr Roy Lowry, British Oceanographic Data CentreProf Chris Measures, University of Hawaii at ManoaDr Bob Newton, Lamont Doherty Earth ObservatoryProf. Raymond Pollard, National Oceanography Centre, SouthamptonProf. Reiner Schlitzer, BremerhavenDr James H. Swift, ScrippsDr Marie-Paule Torre, Villefranche sur Mer, Dr Ed Urban, SCOR SecretariatDr Jing Zhang, University of Toyama

Types of data in GEOTRACES?

“Data requirements for ocean sections will be relatively standard and well defined, consisting of vertical water sampling with stations spaced several degrees apart, with additional data fields from on-board continuous sensors.

Process studies will be more diverse than ocean sections. Some studies will be similar to but shorter than ocean sections (in time and length), whereas others will involve measurements and observations that will yield more varied types of data requiring specialised handling. Process studies will involve a large number of radically different data types, for example, video and still cameras, pore water samplers, cores, sediment traps, mooring systems, etc.”

From GEOTRACES Data Management Report

Proposed data management in programme

Responsibility of DMC

The GEOTRACES DMC should have three areas of responsibility (taken from http://www.jhu.edu/scor/DMReport.pdf):

(1) ensure that data are available for project scientific purposes and that data management meets the present scientific needs of the project without compromising future needs

(2) oversee the compilation of data from individual principal investigators (PIs) and national projects into a long-term, integrated data set that is submitted to an appropriate data archive and may be published in a suitable format (CDROM or DVD are current possibilities)

(1) address the involvement in project data exchange activities of scientists without access to effective data management infrastructure.

From GEOTRACES Data Management Report

Responsibility of DLO

A DLO should be employed early, with the following responsibilities:

• Maintain a list of GEOTRACES cruises• Keep track of project metadata• Maintain a catalogue of actual and expected data sets• Ensure that standardized parameter descriptions are adopted, for

example, the BODC parameter usage vocabulary.• Define dataset boundaries in consultation with the SSC• Ensure that protocols for naming of cruise, station positions, etc., adhere

to a rule system developed by the DMC• Interact with DAC(s) to coordinate their activities and interactions with PIs• In particular, ensure timely delivery of metadata and actual data to the

DAC(s)• Contribute to (and possibly maintain) the project web-site

The DLO will be an ex officio member of the DMC, and will report to the Director of the IPO and to the DMC.

End-to-end data management

Requires careful collection and recording of metadata on board ship.

• ultimate responsibility with Principal Scientist on each cruise• strong reccommendation that one berth on each cruise occupied by data

specialist• this person ensures suitable log sheets, preparation of metadata,

evaluate the quality of data, assemble data

Timescales for data submission

• Metadata - as soon as created from the planning stage onwards• Data (not finalized) - within 1 month (of collection, or end of cruise), with

possible approved extension as tabulated• Cruise report - within 6 months of the end of the cruise• Final detailed data report for each process study (see section 5.6) -

within 6 months of the end of the process study• Final data - within 2 years, exceptions possible from the GEOTRACES

SSC

And release:

• Participants in a particular cruise - as soon as available at the DAC with knowledge and permission of the relevant PI

• Public release - within two years of end of cruise (+ extra time for particular data type as approved by SSC)

Data assembly centre

Remains under discussion:

• US developments?• BODC• World Data Centre (Silver Spring)• Hydrographic data CCHDO (and any other data stored elsewhere)

should be accessible through the centre