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Surface ocean p CO 2 seasonality and sea‐air CO 2 flux estimates for the North American east coast
Author(s) -
Signorini Sergio R.,
Mannino Antonio,
Najjar Raymond G.,
Friedrichs Marjorie A. M.,
Cai WeiJun,
Salisbury Joe,
Wang Zhaohui Aleck,
Thomas Helmuth,
Shadwick Elizabeth
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: oceans
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-9291
pISSN - 2169-9275
DOI - 10.1002/jgrc.20369
Subject(s) - shoal , oceanography , seasonality , environmental science , continental shelf , flux (metallurgy) , climatology , sea surface temperature , geology , chemistry , statistics , mathematics , organic chemistry
Underway and in situ observations of surface ocean p CO 2 , combined with satellite data, were used to develop p CO 2 regional algorithms to analyze the seasonal and interannual variability of surface ocean p CO 2 and sea‐air CO 2 flux for five physically and biologically distinct regions of the eastern North American continental shelf: the South Atlantic Bight (SAB), the Mid‐Atlantic Bight (MAB), the Gulf of Maine (GoM), Nantucket Shoals and Georges Bank (NS+GB), and the Scotian Shelf (SS). Temperature and dissolved inorganic carbon variability are the most influential factors driving the seasonality of p CO 2 . Estimates of the sea‐air CO 2 flux were derived from the available p CO 2 data, as well as from the p CO 2 reconstructed by the algorithm. Two different gas exchange parameterizations were used. The SS, GB+NS, MAB, and SAB regions are net sinks of atmospheric CO 2 while the GoM is a weak source. The estimates vary depending on the use of surface ocean p CO 2 from the data or algorithm, as well as with the use of the two different gas exchange parameterizations. Most of the regional estimates are in general agreement with previous studies when the range of uncertainty and interannual variability are taken into account. According to the algorithm, the average annual uptake of atmospheric CO 2 by eastern North American continental shelf waters is found to be between −3.4 and −5.4 Tg C yr −1 (areal average of −0.7 to −1.0 mol CO 2 m −2 yr −1 ) over the period 2003–2010.