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Recalculating the Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas (SOCAT) to a sea surface temperature climate data record
Daniel J Ford1, Jamie D Shutler2, Thomas Holding2,3
1Centre for Geography and Environmental Sciences (CGES), University of Exeter, Penryn, UK. d.ford@exeter.ac.uk.
Scientific Data
|June 9, 2026
Summary
The Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas (SOCAT) now provides recalculated CO2 data, correcting for warm bias in sea surface temperature measurements. This improves accuracy in assessing the ocean
Area of Science:
- Oceanography and Marine Carbon Cycle Research
- Climate Science and Data Assimilation
Background:
- The Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas (SOCAT) is a crucial global database for surface ocean carbon dioxide (CO2) measurements.
- Existing SOCAT data have inherent complexities due to varying measurement systems and potential sea surface temperature (SST) biases, impacting atmosphere-ocean CO2 assessments.
- Inconsistencies in measurement depths and platform-induced warming of SST can limit the precision of CO2 flux calculations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To recalculate SOCATv2025 fugacity of CO2 in seawater (fCO2 sw) data to a consistent reference temperature and depth.
- To improve the accuracy of atmosphere-ocean CO2 exchange assessments by addressing SST warm bias.
- To provide routinely updated, recalculated data products for annual carbon budget calculations.
Main Methods:
- Recalculated fCO2 sw values from the SOCATv2025 database to a standard depth (0.2 m) using the ESA CCI SST climate data record.
- Maintained data pairing to preserve suitability for atmosphere-ocean CO2 exchange analysis.
- Ensured consistency with original SOCAT data products and formats for both original and recalculated datasets.
Main Results:
- Recalculation to a climate data record temperature revealed a ~0.4 Pg C yr-1 (12%) increase in the ocean CO2 sink for 2024.
- The corrected data demonstrate the significant impact of accounting for SST warm bias on ocean carbon sink estimates.
- Provided synthesis cruise and gridded data products including both original and recalculated fCO2 sw values.
Conclusions:
- Addressing the warm bias in SST measurements is critical for accurate ocean CO2 sink estimations.
- The recalculated SOCAT data products enhance the reliability of annual carbon assessments.
- Routine provision of these recalculated datasets will support ongoing climate change research and monitoring.
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