The Chukchi Sea is an increasing CO2sink driven by rapid climate changes. Understanding the seasonal variation of air‐sea CO2exchange and the underlying mechanisms of biogeochemical dynamics is important for predicting impacts of climate change on and feedbacks by the ocean. Here, we present a unique data set of underway sea surface partial pressure of CO2(
The Southern Ocean plays an important role in the uptake of atmospheric CO2. In seasonally ice‐covered regions, estimates of air‐sea exchange remain uncertain in part because of a lack of observations outside the summer season. Here we present new estimates of air‐sea CO2flux in the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) from an autonomous mooring on the continental shelf. In summer, the WAP is a sink for atmospheric CO2followed by a slow return to atmospheric equilibrium in autumn and winter. Outgassing is almost entirely suppressed by ice cover from June through October, resulting in a modest net annual CO2sink. Model projections indicate sea ice formation will occur later in the season in the coming decades potentially weakening the net oceanic CO2sink. Interannual variability in the WAP is significant, highlighting the importance of sustained observations of air‐sea exchange in this rapidly changing region of the Southern Ocean.
more » « less- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10366482
- Publisher / Repository:
- DOI PREFIX: 10.1029
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Geophysical Research Letters
- Volume:
- 48
- Issue:
- 11
- ISSN:
- 0094-8276
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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