Global compilation of in situ particulate organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus concentrations in coastal and open ocean waters
Abstract
We present a global compilation of in situ marine particulate organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus concentrations (POC, PON, and POP, respectively), from multiple sources to provide one of the most comprehensive collections of marine particulate organic matter (POM) to date. The dataset includes 155137 measurements (70586 POC, 69290 PON, and 15261 POP) from 25944 independent stations, more than doubling the number of previously available observations. Observations span more than three decades (1988–2025) and cover the global ocean from the surface to 6009 m depth. Notably, 52% of stations are located in shallow, coastal waters (<200 m bottom depth), enhancing coverage of productive nearshore regions and improving representation of dynamic coastal biogeochemistry. To address methodological heterogeneity among the compiled datasets, detailed metadata describing sampling strategies, filtration protocols, filter types, and analytical techniques were systematically assembled for each measurement whenever available. This dataset provides a resource for quantifying the spatial and temporal variability of POM distributions, and the elemental stoichiometry of marine particles, supporting biogeochemical modeling efforts. The dataset will also enable the development and validation of both bio-optical models and satellite-derived estimates of POM, including applications to the Sentinel-3 and the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) missions.
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BibTeX
@article{fumenia2026global,
title = {{Global compilation of in situ particulate organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus concentrations in coastal and open ocean waters}},
author = {Alain Fumenia and Hubert Loisel and Thierry Moutin and Jamee Adams and Hélène Agogué and Lihini Aluwihare and Kevin Arrigo and Marcel Babin and Nicholas Baetge and William Balch and Nicholas Bates and Karin Björkman and Alexander Bochdansky and Sophie Bonnet and Yann Bozec and Raffaela Cattaneo and Arnaud Cauvin and Joaquín Chaves and Matthew Church and Pascal Claquin and Olivier Crispi and Muriel Crouvoisier and Yolanda del Amo and Emmanuel Devred and Julia Diaz and Kahina Djaoudi and David Drapeau and Solange Duhamel and Andrea Fassbender and Catherine Garcia and Léa Giannecchini and Miguel Goñi and Eric Grabowski and Gérald Grégori and Olivier Grosso and Emilie Grossteffan and Cécile Guieu and Gaël Guillou and Sophia Johannessen and Rodney Johnson and Orianne Jolly and Andrew Juhl and David Karl and Irina Koester and Florian Koch and Bernd Krock and Nathalie Labourdette and Véronique Lagadec and Michael Landry and Karine Leblanc and Benoit Lebreton and Cédric Leroux and Aude Leynaert and Qian Li and Fabrice Lizon and Michael Lomas and Antonio Mannino and Barbara Marie and Adam Martiny and Sébastien Mas},
journal = {Scientific Data},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1038/s41597-026-08413-7},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05828276v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Global compilation of in situ particulate organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus concentrations in coastal and open ocean waters
AU - Alain Fumenia
AU - Hubert Loisel
AU - Thierry Moutin
AU - Jamee Adams
AU - Hélène Agogué
AU - Lihini Aluwihare
AU - Kevin Arrigo
AU - Marcel Babin
AU - Nicholas Baetge
AU - William Balch
AU - Nicholas Bates
AU - Karin Björkman
AU - Alexander Bochdansky
AU - Sophie Bonnet
AU - Yann Bozec
AU - Raffaela Cattaneo
AU - Arnaud Cauvin
AU - Joaquín Chaves
AU - Matthew Church
AU - Pascal Claquin
AU - Olivier Crispi
AU - Muriel Crouvoisier
AU - Yolanda del Amo
AU - Emmanuel Devred
AU - Julia Diaz
AU - Kahina Djaoudi
AU - David Drapeau
AU - Solange Duhamel
AU - Andrea Fassbender
AU - Catherine Garcia
AU - Léa Giannecchini
AU - Miguel Goñi
AU - Eric Grabowski
AU - Gérald Grégori
AU - Olivier Grosso
AU - Emilie Grossteffan
AU - Cécile Guieu
AU - Gaël Guillou
AU - Sophia Johannessen
AU - Rodney Johnson
AU - Orianne Jolly
AU - Andrew Juhl
AU - David Karl
AU - Irina Koester
AU - Florian Koch
AU - Bernd Krock
AU - Nathalie Labourdette
AU - Véronique Lagadec
AU - Michael Landry
AU - Karine Leblanc
AU - Benoit Lebreton
AU - Cédric Leroux
AU - Aude Leynaert
AU - Qian Li
AU - Fabrice Lizon
AU - Michael Lomas
AU - Antonio Mannino
AU - Barbara Marie
AU - Adam Martiny
AU - Sébastien Mas
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/02
JO - Scientific Data
DO - 10.1038/s41597-026-08413-7
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05828276v1
AB - We present a global compilation of in situ marine particulate organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus concentrations (POC, PON, and POP, respectively), from multiple sources to provide one of the most comprehensive collections of marine particulate organic matter (POM) to date. The dataset includes 155137 measurements (70586 POC, 69290 PON, and 15261 POP) from 25944 independent stations, more than doubling the number of previously available observations. Observations span more than three decades (1988–2025) and cover the global ocean from the surface to 6009 m depth. Notably, 52% of stations are located in shallow, coastal waters (<200 m bottom depth), enhancing coverage of productive nearshore regions and improving representation of dynamic coastal biogeochemistry. To address methodological heterogeneity among the compiled datasets, detailed metadata describing sampling strategies, filtration protocols, filter types, and analytical techniques were systematically assembled for each measurement whenever available. This dataset provides a resource for quantifying the spatial and temporal variability of POM distributions, and the elemental stoichiometry of marine particles, supporting biogeochemical modeling efforts. The dataset will also enable the development and validation of both bio-optical models and satellite-derived estimates of POM, including applications to the Sentinel-3 and the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) missions.
SN - 2052-4463
ER -