Influence of Seaweed Aquaculture on Marine Inorganic Carbon Dynamics and Sea‐air CO 2 Flux

On the basis of field data measured during four cruises from April 2011 to January 2012, spatial and seasonal variations of CO 2 dynamics and aqueous p CO 2 were investigated in the seaweed aquaculture area, Lidao town, China. Results showed that the mean annual concentrations of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), HCO 3 − , CO 3 2− , and CO 2 were 2024.79 ± 146.96, 1842.41 ± 132.13, 170.02 ± 42.82, and 12.35 ± 2.52 µmol/L, respectively. There were no significant differences between areas in concentrations of DIC and HCO 3 − ( P  > 0.05), while the differences for the concentration of CO 2 was very significant ( P  < 0.01). The mean annual values of aqueous p CO 2 and sea‐air CO 2 flux were 287.80 ± 37.90 µatm and −32.71 ± 17.23 mmol/m 2 /d, respectively. There were very significant differences ( P  < 0.01) for aqueous p CO 2 and sea‐air CO 2 flux not only between different areas, but also between different seasons. The buffer factor β indicates that, inside the seaweed area, inorganic carbon dynamics are mainly influenced by photosynthesis and respiration process.