CO2calc is a user-friendly, stand-alone software application designed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to calculate ocean carbonate chemical parameters to monitor ocean acidification and climate change.
Unlike commercial corporate carbon accounting platforms, CO2calc was specifically engineered for marine scientists, researchers, and educators to simplify the complex mathematics of seawater carbon chemistry. It is available for Windows, Mac OS X, and iOS. Core Mechanics & Functionality
The software functions as an advanced chemical model. By providing basic physical parameters and two of the main measurable carbon parameters, it instantly computes the rest of the carbonate system:
Required Physical Inputs: Salinity, temperature, and pressure.
The Big Four Chemical Parameters: You must input any two of the following: Total Alkalinity (TA) Total Inorganic Carbon ( TCO2cap T cap C cap O sub 2 Partial pressure ( pCO2p cap C cap O sub 2 ) or fugacity ( fCO2f cap C cap O sub 2 ) of carbon dioxide.
Calculated Outputs: The software automatically resolves the remaining two chemical values, along with calcium carbonate saturation states (Aragonite and Calcite saturation, Ωcap omega ) and air-sea CO2cap C cap O sub 2 Key Features of CO2calc
CO2calc was built as an upgrade to the older, command-line and Excel-dependent CO2SYS program. It offers several distinct design advantages:
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