Anthropogenic carbon distributions in the Atlantic Ocean: data-based estimates from the Arctic to the Antarctic

• Published in: Biogeosciences
• Main Authors: Vazquez-rodriguez, Marcos, Touratier, Franck, Lo Monaco, Claire, Waugh, D. W., Padin, X. A., Bellerby, R. G. J., Goyet, Catherine, Metzl, Nicolas, Rios, Aida F., Perez, Fiz F.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Copernicus Gesellschaft Mbh 2009
• Subjects: deep equatorial atlantic; northern indian-ocean; water mass ages; CO2; sea; transport; increase; tracers; models; Antarctic; Arctic; Indian; Southern Ocean; The Antarctic; Antarc*; Nordic Seas
• Online Access: https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00202/31313/29724.pdf; https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00202/31313/93140.pdf; https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-6-439-2009; https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00202/31313/

Five of the most recent observational methods to estimate anthropogenic CO2 (C-ant) are applied to a high-quality dataset from five representative sections of the Atlantic Ocean extending from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Between latitudes 60 degrees N-40 degrees S all methods give similar spatial distributions and magnitude of C-ant. However, discrepancies are found in some regions, in particular in the Southern Ocean and Nordic Seas. The differences in the Southern Ocean have a significant impact on the anthropogenic carbon inventories. The calculated total inventories of C-ant for the Atlantic referred to 1994 vary from 48 to 67 Pg (10(15) g) of carbon, with an average of 54 +/- 8 Pg C, which is higher than previous estimates. These results, both the detailed C-ant distributions and extrapolated inventories, will help to evaluate biogeochemical ocean models and coupled climate-carbon models.