Changes of the oceanic CO2 sink in the Eastern Indian sector of the Southern Ocean

Emily Brèviére; Nicolas Metzl; Alain Poisson; Bronte Tilbrook

doi:10.1111/j.1600-0889.2006.00220.x

Changes of the oceanic CO2 sink in the Eastern Indian sector of the Southern Ocean

Tellus B: Chemical and Physical Meteorology

Volume 58 (2006): Issue 5

By: Emily Brèviére, Nicolas Metzl, Alain Poisson and Bronte Tilbrook

Open Access

|Jan 2006

Abstract

Changes in the carbon dioxide fugacity (fCO₂) and air–sea CO₂ flux observed in the Southern Ocean, south of Tasmania were analysed and compared for two different years: 1996/1997 and 2002/2003. The CO₂ flux showed large and contrasting interannual changes in the permanent open ocean zone (POOZ, 53–61°S) between the 2 yr where the oceanic CO₂ sink increased from about -0.3 mmol m^-2 d^-1 in February 1997 to -20.6 mmol m^-2 d^-1 in February 2003. The strong sink in February 2003 was associated with increased phytoplankton biomass in this High-Nutrient, Low- Chlorophyll (HNLC) region. Three hypotheses that may have influenced the biomass and fCO₂ changes in the POOZ were investigated: sea surface temperature (SST) and El Niño/ Southern Oscillation (ENSO) event, total stratospheric ozone column and ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and atmospheric dust inputs. The strong CO₂ sink in 2003 in the POOZ cannot be explained by the observed changes in SST or UV, but would be qualitatively consistent with the presence of episodic atmospheric dust inputs.

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Articles in this issue

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0889.2006.00220.x | Journal eISSN: 1600-0889

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Language: English

Page range: 438 - 446

Submitted on: Jan 11, 2006

Accepted on: Jul 6, 2006

Published on: Jan 1, 2006

Published by: Stockholm University Press

In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

© 2006 Emily Brèviére, Nicolas Metzl, Alain Poisson, Bronte Tilbrook, published by Stockholm University Press
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Volume 58 (2006): Issue 5