Paleoceanography data are derived from many proxies found in deep-sea sediments, including trace metal and isotopic composition of fossil plankton, species composition, and lithology. The World Data Service for Paleoclimatology archives data from all time periods. Coral and mollusk data are archived in their own sub-directories.
Accessing Data at the World Data Service for Paleoclimatology
Search Paleoceanography Datasets
Search through paleoceanography studies using Investigator, Title, Location Name, Parameters, and Latitude/Longitude Bounds.
Interactive Map
Select study locations by region, proximity to a point, or text-based attributes.
Google Earth Map
Locate and download paleoceanography studies using a Google Earth map interface. Google Earth must be installed to use this search tool.
NCEI Paleo Web Service
Use the NCEI Paleo Web Service to access paleoceanography study metadata records.
Browse Paleoceanography Datasets
Contributing Data
To contribute to the paleoceanography data archive, review our instructions for contributing data. Prospective data providers can email paleo@noaa.gov to submit data and study description information.
Other Resources
Additional sources for data and information on oceanography, marine sediment, and climate science.
- Index to Marine and Lacustrine Geological Samples (IMLGS)
- Marine Geology and Geophysics at the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)
- Ocean Drilling Program Janus Database
- PANGAEA Earth and Environmental Science Database
Paleoceanography Projects
- Climate: Long-range Investigation, Mapping, and Prediction (CLIMAP)
- A major initiative to produce a map of climate conditions during the last glacial maximum.
- Healy-Oden Trans Arctic Expedition (HOTRAX)
- Grain size, X-Ray fluorescence (XRF), and reflectance data from the Arctic.
- Multiproxy Approach for the Reconstruction of the Glacial Ocean Surface (MARGO)
- Integrated microfossil and geochemical reconstructions of surface temperatures and assessments of the reliability of individual records.
- Nitrogen Cycle in the Ocean, Past and Present (NICOPP)
- A database of global ocean marine sedimentary d15N measurements from both seafloor samples and sub-seafloor records.
- Spectral Mapping Project (SPECMAP)
- Global archive of plankton counts and isotope values, age and sea surface temperature models, and sea surface temperature estimates.
- Relative Sea Level Database
- Radiocarbon-controlled relative sea level histories from 392 sites around the globe.
- LDEO Calcium Carbonate Database
- This dataset contains calcium carbonate percentage data from 295 marine sediment cores, as well as 14C dates or age models as available.
- Fossil Plankton Stratigraphies
- Foraminifer census counts and sea surface temperature estimates derived from marine sediment cores from the North Atlantic Ocean.
