The compilation

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We have gathered a comprehensive compilation of 261 datasets consisting of Th-234 measurements in oceanic waters sampled between 1967 and 2023 by innumerable and fantastic researchers and laboratories.

The 261 files individually report data available in publications and datasets from unpublished field expeditions. 400 cruises covered samplings from more than 5000 locations spanning all oceanic regions. The files include concentrations of Th-234 in water (total, dissolved, particulate) and in sinking particles, and dissolved 238U among others. Data are provided together with detailed information on the metadata of the expedition and the methods used for their collection.

The first presentation and discussion of Th-234 data compiled up to 2020 was published in Earth System Science Data journal in 2022. Ceballos-Romero, E., Buesseler, K.O., Villa-Alfageme, M., 2022. Revisiting five decades of 234Th data: a comprehensive global oceanic compilation. Earth Syst. Sci. Data 14, 2639–2679. https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-2639-2022

You can also find the first released data product of this compilation in PANGEA, an open data repository for Earth Science data: https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.918125

To date, the data have been compiled from more than 250 different studies published in peer-reviewed journals between 1969 and 2023, 5 PhD dissertations, 9 datasets available in public repositories, and 9 unpublished datasets provided directly by authors.

The data repositories that are included are: BCO-DMO®  (“Biological & Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office”:  https://www.bco-dmo.org/),  DARWIN® (“Data and Sample Research System for Whole Cruise Information in JAMSTEC”: http://www.godac.jamstec.go.jp/darwin/e), EDI Data Portal® (“Environmental Data initiative”: https://portal.edirepository.org/nis/home.jsp), and PANGAEA® (www.pangea.de).

Data corresponding to GEOTRACES® cruises have been obtained from papers accessed through GEOTRACES website (https://www.geotraces.org/). GEOTRACES® is an international programme which aims to improve the understanding of biogeochemical cycles and large-scale distribution of trace elements and their isotopes in the marine environment. Scientists from approximately 35 nations have been involved in the programme, which is designed to study all major ocean basins. The validated GEOTRACES Data Product is available at the following webpage:  https://www.geotraces.org/dp. Note that Third-party users of the data in the GEOTRACES IDP are expected to adhere to the principles outlined in the Fair Use agreement: https://www.geotraces.org/idp-fair-use-document/