DOI: 10.1098/rstb.1995.0056. An assessment of the role of the North Atlantic as a CO <sub>2</sub> sink

An assessment of the role of the North Atlantic as a CO 2 sink

10.1098/rstb.1995.0056

Crossref journal-article

The Royal Society

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences (175)

Abstract

A numerical interpolation scheme based upon the lateral diffusive and advective transport of ocean surface waters has been developed to interpolate measurements made in irregular time and space over the oceans. This has been applied to about 2700 surface ocean P CO 2 measurements observed during the period 1972-1992 in the North Atlantic to give the distribution of sea-air P CO 2 difference (Δ P CO 2 ) over the Atlantic. Although the atmospheric CO 2 concentration has increased by about 28 ppm over this period, the P CO 2 values in the surface waters of subarctic regions have increased little because they are dictated primarily by the properties of underlying deep waters through vertical mixing. Accordingly, Δ P CO 2 values measured north of 50° N have been corrected to the year 1990 using the secular increase of atmospheric CO 2 . Because the surface water P CO 2 value in temperate waters tracks the secular increase in atmospheric CO 2 with a time lag of about two years, no correction was applied to the warm water Δ p CO 2 data. It has been assumed that seasonal variations are the same for each year. The net CO2 flux across the sea surface has been computed over a 4° latitude x 5° longitude grid using the mean monthly A p CO 2 values and the gas transfer coefficients estimated using the mean monthly wind speed. It has been found that the areas of the high latitude North Atlantic and the adjacent seas north of 42° N are net CO 2 sinks of 0.2 to 0.5 Gt G a -1 . The total sink flux of CO 2 over the temperate North Atlantic areas between 18° N and 42° N is balanced approximately by the source flux over the tropical Atlantic between 18° N and 18° S.

Bibliography

An assessment of the role of the North Atlantic as a CO 2 sink. (1995). Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences, 348(1324), 143â152.

Authors 0

None

References 30 Referenced 55

{'issue': '11', 'key': 'p_1', 'first-page': '741', 'article-title': 'C 0 2 fluxes in the tropical A tlantic during FO CA L cruises. J. geophys', 'volume': '91', 'author': 'Andrie C.', 'year': '1986', 'journal-title': 'Res.'} / Res. / C 0 2 fluxes in the tropical A tlantic during FO CA L cruises. J. geophys by Andrie C. (1986)
10.1007/BF00208905
{'key': 'p_3', 'first-page': '1575', 'article-title': 'Calcium carbonate precipitation on the Baham a Banks. geophys', 'volume': '71', 'author': 'Broecker W.S.', 'year': '1966', 'journal-title': 'Res.'} / Res. / Calcium carbonate precipitation on the Baham a Banks. geophys by Broecker W.S. (1966)
10.1126/science.206.4417.409
Broecker W.S. & Peng T.-H . 1982 Tracers in the sea. Palisades New York: Eldigio Press.
{'key': 'p_6', 'first-page': '151', 'article-title': 'Primary production at 47° N and 20° W in the N orth Atlantic Ocean: a comparison between the 14C incubation method and the mixed layer carbon budget. Deep Sea', 'volume': '40', 'author': 'Chipm', 'year': '1993', 'journal-title': 'Res.'} / Res. / Primary production at 47° N and 20° W in the N orth Atlantic Ocean: a comparison between the 14C incubation method and the mixed layer carbon budget. Deep Sea by Chipm (1993)
Esbensen S.K. & Kushnir Y. 1981 The heat budget of the global ocean: An atlas based on estimates from the surface marine observations. Clim. Res. Inst. Rpt 29. Corvalis Oregon: Oregon State University.
{'key': 'p_8', 'first-page': '1058', 'article-title': 'Determ ination of isopycnal diffusivity in the Sargasso Sea. J. phys', 'volume': '21', 'author': 'Jenkins W.J.', 'year': '1991', 'journal-title': 'Oceanogr.'} / Oceanogr. / Determ ination of isopycnal diffusivity in the Sargasso Sea. J. phys by Jenkins W.J. (1991)
Keeling C.D. & Whorf T.P. 1991 Atmospheric C 0 2-M odern record M auna Loa. In Trends '91 a compendium of data onglobal change ORNL/CDIAC-46 (eds T. A. Boden R. J. Sepanski & F. W. Stoss) pp. 12-15. Oak Ridge Tennessee: Carbon Dioxide Analysis Center Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Liss P.S. & M erlivat L. 1986 Air-sea gas exchange rates: introduction and synthesis. In The role of air-sea exchange in geochemical cycling (ed. P. Buat-M enard) pp. 113-127. Dordrecht Holland: D. Reidel Publishing Co. (10.1007/978-94-009-4738-2_5)
10.3402/tellusa.v27i2.9900
10.3402/tellusb.v39i5.15361
10.1126/science.256.5053.74
{'key': 'p_14', 'first-page': '8181', 'article-title': 'The increase in oceanic carbon dioxide and the net C 0 2 flux into the North Atlantic. J. geophys', 'volume': '89', 'author': 'Roos M.', 'year': '1984', 'journal-title': 'Res.'} / Res. / The increase in oceanic carbon dioxide and the net C 0 2 flux into the North Atlantic. J. geophys by Roos M. (1984)
{'key': 'p_15', 'first-page': '3621', 'article-title': 'A perturbation simulation of C 0 2 uptake in an ocean general circulation model. J. geophys', 'volume': '97', 'author': 'Sarmiento J.L .', 'year': '1992', 'journal-title': 'Res.'} / Res. / A perturbation simulation of C 0 2 uptake in an ocean general circulation model. J. geophys by Sarmiento J.L . (1992)
10.1175/1520-0442(1992)005<0987:AGMSST>2.0.CO;2
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{'key': 'p_18', 'first-page': '477', 'article-title': 'C arbon dioxide in the atmosphere and in Atlantic Ocean water. J. geophys', 'volume': '66', 'author': 'Takahashi T.', 'year': '1961', 'journal-title': 'Res.'} / Res. / C arbon dioxide in the atmosphere and in Atlantic Ocean water. J. geophys by Takahashi T. (1961)
Takahashi T. Chipm an D. Schechtman N. G oddard J . & W anninkof R. 1982 M easurements of the partial pressure of C 0 2in discrete water samples during the N orth Atlantic expedition the transient tracers of Oceans project. Technical Report to NSF pp. 268. Palisades New York: Lam ont-D oherty Geological Observatory.
Takahashi T. Chipm an D. & Volk T. 1983 Geographical seasonal and secular variations of the partial pressure of C 0 2 in surface waters of the N orth Atlantic O cean : The results of the N orth Atlantic T T O Program. In carbon dioxide research conference: carbon dioxide science and consensus CONF-820970 11-123-145. W ashington D .C .: U nited States D epartm ent of Energy.
Takahashi T. Goddard J. Chipm an D.W. Sutherland S.C. & M athieu G. 1991 Assessment of carbon dioxide sink/source in the N orth Pacific O cean: seasonal and geographic variability 1984-1989. Final Technical Report for Cont. 19X-SC428C. Palisades New York: D epartm ent of Energy L am ont-D oherty Geolological Observatory.
{'key': 'p_22', 'first-page': '20', 'article-title': 'Seasonal study of the carbon-nutrient chemistry in the Denmark Strait area. In Proceedings of a Nordic Symposium (ed. U. Stefansson) vol. 9, pp. 20-36. J. mar', 'volume': '9', 'author': 'Takahashi T.', 'year': '1985', 'journal-title': 'Res.'} / Res. / Seasonal study of the carbon-nutrient chemistry in the Denmark Strait area. In Proceedings of a Nordic Symposium (ed. U. Stefansson) vol. 9, pp. 20-36. J. mar by Takahashi T. (1985)
10.1029/93GB02263
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{'key': 'p_26', 'first-page': '814', 'article-title': 'Baroclinic flow and transient tracer fields in the C anary-C ape Verde Basin. J. phys', 'volume': '16', 'author': 'Thiele G.', 'year': '1986', 'journal-title': 'Oceanogr.'} / Oceanogr. / Baroclinic flow and transient tracer fields in the C anary-C ape Verde Basin. J. phys by Thiele G. (1986)
Weiss R.F. van Woy F.A. & Salameh P.K. 1992 Surface water and atmospheric carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide observations by shipboard automated gas chromatography: results from expeditions between 1977 and 1990. SIO 92-11 ORNL/CDIAC59 NPD-044. La Jolla California: Scripps Institution of Oceanography. (10.2172/6726159)
10.3402/tellusb.v43i2.15265
10.1038/350050a0
D is c u ssio n

Dates

Type	When
Created	18 years, 8 months ago (Dec. 15, 2006, 5:45 p.m.)
Deposited	4 years, 6 months ago (Feb. 18, 2021, 3:30 p.m.)
Indexed	1 year, 3 months ago (May 21, 2024, 9:07 a.m.)
Issued	30 years, 3 months ago (May 30, 1995)
Published	30 years, 3 months ago (May 30, 1995)
Published Online	28 years, 8 months ago (Jan. 1, 1997)
Published Print	30 years, 3 months ago (May 30, 1995)

Funders 0

None

BibTeX

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