Open AccessSurface distributions of carbon chemistry parameters in the East China Sea in summer 2007
Author(s) -
Chou WenChen,
Gong GwoChing,
Sheu David D.,
Hung ChinChang,
Tseng TsungFan
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: oceans
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.67
H-Index - 298
eISSN - 2156-2202
pISSN - 0148-0227
DOI - 10.1029/2008jc005128
Subject(s) - sink (geography) , upwelling , alkalinity , salinity , dissolved organic carbon , environmental science , carbon sink , seawater , nitrate , fugacity , surface water , oceanography , total inorganic carbon , water column , sea surface temperature , environmental chemistry , atmospheric sciences , carbon dioxide , geology , chemistry , climate change , environmental engineering , geography , cartography , organic chemistry
Comprehensive carbon chemistry data including total alkalinity (TA), dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), pH, fugacity of CO 2 , and other pertinent data (i.e., temperature, salinity, and levels of nitrate and chlorophyll a ) were measured in surface waters of the East China Sea (ECS) shelf in July 2007. The results show that spatial variations in these parameters closely correspond to the distributions of various water types. The Changjiang Diluted Water (CDW) and Yellow Sea Water (YSW) areas are the two major sinks of atmospheric CO 2 ; the Coastal Upwelling Water (CUW) area is the most important CO 2 source, whereas the Kuroshio Water and Taiwan Current Warm Water areas are weak sources. The entire ECS acted as a sink for atmospheric CO 2 , with a flux of −2.4 to −4.3 mmol C m −2 d −1 during the study period. Identification of the CUW source area suggests that previous studies might have overestimated CO 2 uptake by the ECS in summer. Our results further suggest that high biological production might be responsible for the strong sink in the CDW area but that high input of TA from the Huanghe River, which led to an elevated TA/DIC ratio, could have resulted in formation of a significant CO 2 sink in the YSW area. The present data set represents the most comprehensive CO 2 survey in the ECS to date and can thus be used as a baseline for monitoring future changes in the CO 2 system arising from the construction of the Three Gorges Dam in the middle stretch of the Changjiang River.