Atlantic meridional transects, 2002–2007

Open-ocean LIF lidar measurements collected between 2002 and 2007 from the equatorial Atlantic towards the Labrador Sea and Southern Ocean

Meridional transectAtlantic Ocean

● North Sea to Río de la Plata, 2005, 2005-09-30160 measurements IDW interpolation, 160 samples, track swath

Chl-a0.0111.1µg/L

CDOM0.096.60a.u.

TSM0.031.30mg/L

Fig. 1 Campaign measurement record. 160 lidar returns are plotted along the vessel track for Chl-a, CDOM, TSM. The field view applies inverse-distance weighting to the same observations; the shoreline is from Natural Earth.

Between 2002 and 2007, a LIF lidar operated during several Atlantic passages, including voyages aboard R/V Akademik Ioffe. Measurements of chlorophyll-a, CDOM, and suspended matter were taken in open-ocean waters from the equatorial Atlantic towards the Labrador Sea and the approaches to the Southern Ocean.

These legs include oligotrophic Case-1 waters with chlorophyll-a typically between 0.08 and 0.2 µg/L. Stations were distributed over long distances, producing a basin-scale record of optical conditions.