<rahmann et al. 
for Ocean Research Kiel and Kiel University, both in Kiel, 
Germany. Biological, chemical, and physical oceanography, 
sediment biogeochemistry, marine ecology, molecular 
microbiology, paleoceanography, geology, as well as climate 
and biogeochemical modeling all contributed to the project. 
The SFB 754 was organized in 18 highly interdisciplinary 
science sub-projects striving to answer the key questions of the 
project. An outreach sub-project complemented the scientific 
sub-projects with programs for pupils and the general public. 
A dedicated central data management team was hosted by the 
GEOMAR data management and supported and supervised the 
curation and publication of all data collected by the SFB 754. To 
date 799 peer-reviewed scientific papers, theses, presentations, 
and other publications have been generated by the members of 
the SFB 754‘. In many of these publications observational data 
sets are fully described, assessed, used, and originally published. 
The aim of this article is to summarize and list these published 
observational data sets collected by the SFB 754 all together in a 
clear structured way for easier access and find-ability. 
OBSERVATIONAL AND EXPERIMENTAL 
PROGRAM 
During the 12-year life-cycle the SFB 754 conducted or 
participated in a total of 34 research cruises on large research 
vessels (see Table 1 and Figures 2-7). Data from these cruises 
constitute the bulk of the SFB 754 archive. The three 4-year 
long phases allowed for the development and adaptation of 
the observational and experimental program. Questions arising 
from the data already collected were incorporated into new 
sub-projects for the subsequent project phases. 
DATA MANAGEMENT 
One of the first steps after the inception of the SFB 754 was 
the development and implementation of a common data policy“. 
Binding for all scientists of the SFB 754, it regulated how fully 
processed data sets should be curated, stored, distributed, and 
finally published, as well as the latency of this process. This data 
policy and its strict application is one of the reasons for the 
success of the SFB 754 with 421 peer reviewed publications at the 
time of writing. 
The data management was based on two pillars: Internally the 
data were stored for, and distributed among, the scientists of the 
SFB 754 within the Ocean Science Information System (OSIS’, 
select ‘SFB754’ in the context) of GEOMAR. OSIS allows for the 
storage of different versions of the data set from preliminary and 
raw data shortly after collection, over calibrated data to the final 
data ready for publication. However, the OSIS system was not 
designed or suited to store and serve final data for the long-term. 
[n the final step the data were thus published and made freely 
https://oceanrep.geomar.de/view/project_type/SFB754/ 
https://oceanrep.geomar.de/47369 
https://www.sfb754.de/sfb754-osis 
-rontiers in Marine Science | www.frontiersin.orm 
SFB754 Data Legacy 
available at the World Data Center PANGAEA* or at other more 
specific data centers. 
Because of the diverse scientific fields and measurements 
involved, the rules of the data policy were quite generic. At the 
same time, an important goal was to ensure the timely exchange 
of data between the various research groups within the SFB 
754. Within 3 months after data collection, meta-data for the 
neasurements had to be entered into OSIS, and after 6 months 
nitial versions had to be uploaded. The final publication of 
he data on PANGAEA was due 3 years after collection leaving 
sufficient time for analyses by members of the SFB 754. To 
support the adherence to the rules automatic reminders were 
sent by OSIS to the scientists responsible for the data sets. More 
:han 1100 data sets have to date been published on PANGAEA> 
(see text footnote 5 for a complete and up-to-date listing), while 
a small number (about 100) is still being processed and will 
be published in the near future. For easier accessibility, the 
data from the different scientific fields using different methods 
and instruments have been separated into data collections at 
PANGAFEA (see Table 2). Some of the data sets have been 
published elsewhere on more specialized databases. These are 
explicitly mentioned in the text below. 
OBSERVATIONAL AND EXPERIMENTAL 
METHODS AND DATA 
During its 12-year existence, the SFB 754 used a large number 
of observational and experimental methods to assess the physical 
and biogeochemical state of the tropical oceans and the 
interactions between its components. The resulting data sets 
have been described, assessed, used, and incorporated in a large 
number of publications. Here we briefly summarize the methods 
used and refer to the relevant publications in which the methods 
have been described in detail. Data set collections have been 
created on PANGAEA for each of the following subsections 
(see Table 2). Each collection on PANGAEA also includes a pdf 
document with a summarizing table listing ancillary information 
and all relevant data set DOIs. Table 1 lists the research cruises 
with their start and end dates together with the DOIs of the cruise 
reports where additional information about the data collected 
and methods used can be found. 
Physical Oceanography 
Measurements of physical parameters in the surface layer 
and throughout the water column were a core element of 
che observational program of the SFB 754. They delivered 
information on the physical processes that determine the water 
masses and their properties in the regions of interest and at 
the same time set conditions for the various biogeochemical 
processes that determine the oxygen distribution. 
“https://www.pangaea.de 
https://www.pDangaea.de/?q=sfb754 
Zaptember 2021 | Volume 8 | Article 72820