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CO 2 transport at the air‐sea interface: Effect of coupling of heat and matter fluxes
Author(s) -
Phillips Leon F.
Publication year - 1991
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 - 10.1029/91gl01609
Subject(s) - coupling (piping) , heat flux , thermodynamics , heat transfer , partial pressure , flux (metallurgy) , interface (matter) , atmospheric pressure , mechanics , materials science , physics , meteorology , oxygen , metallurgy , pulmonary surfactant , gibbs isotherm , quantum mechanics
Existing data on CO 2 fluxes between air and sea have been calculated by assuming, incorrectly, that the thermodynamic driving force for the CO 2 flux is provided solely by the CO 2 partial pressure difference between the two phases. Because both heat and matter transfer occur under non‐equilibrium conditions, with finite temperature and composition differences across the interface, a proper description of transport at the air‐water interface requires the use of irreversible thermodynamics, according to which the heat and matter fluxes are coupled through the heat of solution of the gas. The present treatment shows that the driving force for CO 2 transport due to the temperature difference across the interface is comparable with that arising from the partial pressure difference.