Sea-surface CO<sub>2</sub> fugacity in the subpolar North Atlantic

oleh: T. Johannessen, C. Neill, M. Chierici, K. R. Brown, A. Olsen

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: Copernicus Publications 2008-04-01

Deskripsi

We present the first year-long subpolar trans-Atlantic set of surface seawater CO<sub>2</sub> fugacity (<i>f</i>CO<sub>2</sub><sup>sw</sup>) data. The data were obtained aboard the MV <i>Nuka Arctica</i> in 2005 and provide a quasi-continuous picture of the <i>f</i>CO<sub>2</sub><sup>sw</sup> variability between Denmark and Greenland. Complementary real-time high-resolution data of surface chlorophyll-<i>a</i> (chl-<i>a</i>) concentrations and mixed layer depth (MLD) estimates have been collocated with the <i>f</i>CO<sub>2</sub><sup>sw</sup> data. Off-shelf <i>f</i>CO<sub>2</sub><sup>sw</sup> data exhibit a pronounced seasonal cycle. In winter, surface waters are saturated to slightly supersaturated over a wide range of temperatures. Through spring and summer, <i>f</i>CO<sub>2</sub><sup>sw</sup> decreases by approximately 60 &mu;atm, due to biological carbon consumption, which is not fully counteracted by the <i>f</i>CO<sub>2</sub><sup>sw</sup> increase due to summer warming. The changes are synchronous with changes in chl-<i>a</i> concentrations and MLD, both of which are exponentially correlated with <i>f</i>CO<sub>2</sub><sup>sw</sup> in off-shelf regions.