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Suppression of CO 2 Outgassing by Gas Bubbles Under a Hurricane
Author(s) -
Liang JunHong,
D'Asaro Eric A.,
McNeil Craig L.,
Fan Yalin,
Harcourt Ramsey R.,
Emerson Steven R.,
Yang Bo,
Sullivan Peter P.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2020gl090249
Subject(s) - supersaturation , outgassing , flux (metallurgy) , bubble , solubility , hydrostatic equilibrium , surface tension , thermodynamics , carbon dioxide , mechanics , atmospheric sciences , environmental science , meteorology , materials science , chemistry , physics , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics , metallurgy
The role of gas bubbles on the air‐sea CO 2 flux during Hurricane Frances (2004) is studied using a large‐eddy simulation model that couples ocean surface boundary layer turbulence, gas bubbles, and dissolved gases. In the subtropical surface ocean where gases are slightly supersaturated, gases in bubbles can still dissolve due to hydrostatic pressure and surface tension exerted on bubbles. Under the simulated conditions, the CO 2 efflux with an explicit bubble effect is less than 2% of that calculated using a gas flux formula without explicit inclusion of bubble effect. The use of a gas flux parameterization without bubble‐induced supersaturation contributes to uncertainty in the global carbon budget. The results highlight the importance of bubbles under high winds even for soluble gases such as CO 2 and demonstrate that gas flux parameterization derived from gases of certain solubility may not be accurate for gases of very different solubility.