Prevalence of strong vertical CO2 and O-2 variability in the top meters of the ocean
(2013) In Global Biogeochemical Cycles 27(3). p.941-949- Abstract
- The gradient in the partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO(2)) across the air-sea boundary layer is the main driving force for the air-sea CO2 flux. Global data bases for surface seawater pCO(2) are actually based on pCO(2) measurements from several meters below the sea surface, assuming a homogeneous distribution between the diffusive boundary layer and the upper top meters of the ocean. Compiling vertical profiles of pCO(2), temperature, and dissolved oxygen in the upper 5-8 m of the ocean from different biogeographical areas, we detected a mean difference between the boundary layer and 5 m pCO(2) of 131 mu atm. Temperature gradients accounted for only 11% of this pCO(2) gradient in the top meters of the ocean; thus, pointing to a... (More)
- The gradient in the partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO(2)) across the air-sea boundary layer is the main driving force for the air-sea CO2 flux. Global data bases for surface seawater pCO(2) are actually based on pCO(2) measurements from several meters below the sea surface, assuming a homogeneous distribution between the diffusive boundary layer and the upper top meters of the ocean. Compiling vertical profiles of pCO(2), temperature, and dissolved oxygen in the upper 5-8 m of the ocean from different biogeographical areas, we detected a mean difference between the boundary layer and 5 m pCO(2) of 131 mu atm. Temperature gradients accounted for only 11% of this pCO(2) gradient in the top meters of the ocean; thus, pointing to a heterogeneous biological activity underneath the air-sea boundary layer as the main factor controlling the top meters pCO(2) variability. Observations of pCO(2) just beneath the air-sea boundary layer should be further investigated in order to estimate possible biases in calculating global air-sea CO2 fluxes. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/4170449
- author
- Calleja, Maria Ll. ; Duarte, Carlos M. ; Alvarez, Marta ; Vaquer-Sunyer, Raquel LU ; Agusti, Susana and Herndl, Gerhard J.
- organization
- publishing date
- 2013
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- pCO2 variability, top meters, temperature, oxygen concentration, oceans
- in
- Global Biogeochemical Cycles
- volume
- 27
- issue
- 3
- pages
- 941 - 949
- publisher
- American Geophysical Union (AGU)
- external identifiers
-
- wos:000325488600029
- scopus:84883709743
- ISSN
- 0886-6236
- DOI
- 10.1002/gbc.20081
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 43fc82aa-505d-40d7-aaa8-17ebf184537d (old id 4170449)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-01 13:41:58
- date last changed
- 2022-03-29 08:54:19
@article{43fc82aa-505d-40d7-aaa8-17ebf184537d, abstract = {{The gradient in the partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO(2)) across the air-sea boundary layer is the main driving force for the air-sea CO2 flux. Global data bases for surface seawater pCO(2) are actually based on pCO(2) measurements from several meters below the sea surface, assuming a homogeneous distribution between the diffusive boundary layer and the upper top meters of the ocean. Compiling vertical profiles of pCO(2), temperature, and dissolved oxygen in the upper 5-8 m of the ocean from different biogeographical areas, we detected a mean difference between the boundary layer and 5 m pCO(2) of 131 mu atm. Temperature gradients accounted for only 11% of this pCO(2) gradient in the top meters of the ocean; thus, pointing to a heterogeneous biological activity underneath the air-sea boundary layer as the main factor controlling the top meters pCO(2) variability. Observations of pCO(2) just beneath the air-sea boundary layer should be further investigated in order to estimate possible biases in calculating global air-sea CO2 fluxes.}}, author = {{Calleja, Maria Ll. and Duarte, Carlos M. and Alvarez, Marta and Vaquer-Sunyer, Raquel and Agusti, Susana and Herndl, Gerhard J.}}, issn = {{0886-6236}}, keywords = {{pCO2 variability; top meters; temperature; oxygen concentration; oceans}}, language = {{eng}}, number = {{3}}, pages = {{941--949}}, publisher = {{American Geophysical Union (AGU)}}, series = {{Global Biogeochemical Cycles}}, title = {{Prevalence of strong vertical CO2 and O-2 variability in the top meters of the ocean}}, url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/gbc.20081}}, doi = {{10.1002/gbc.20081}}, volume = {{27}}, year = {{2013}}, }