Temporal variability of the anthropogenic CO 2 storage in the Irminger Sea

• Main Authors: Pérez, F. F., Vázquez-Rodríguez, M., Louarn, E., Padín, X. A., Mercier, H., Ríos, A. F.
• Other Authors: Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas, Adaptation et diversité en milieu marin (AD2M), Station biologique de Roscoff Roscoff (SBR), Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire de physique des océans (LPO), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER)-Université de Brest (UBO)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2008
• Subjects: [PHYS.ASTR.CO]Physics [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Cosmology and Extra-Galactic Astrophysics [astro-ph.CO]; [SDU.ASTR]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]; [SDU.ENVI]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Continental interfaces; environment; [SDU.OCEAN]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Ocean; Atmosphere; [SDU.STU]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences; Irminger Sea; Labrador Sea; North Atlantic; North Atlantic oscillation
• Online Access: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00330294; https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00330294/document; https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00330294/file/bgd-5-1587-2008.pdf

International audience The anthropogenic CO 2 (C ant ) estimates from cruises spanning more than two decades (1981–2006) in the Irminger Sea area reveal a large variability of the C ant storage rates in the North Atlantic Subpolar Gyre. During the early 1990's, the C ant uptake rates doubled the average rate for 1981–2006, whilst a remarkable drop to almost half that average followed from 1997 onwards. The C ant storage evolution runs parallel to CFC12 inventories and is in good agreement with C ant uptake rates of increase calculated from sea surface pCO 2 measurements. The North Atlantic Oscillation shift from a positive to a negative phase in 1996 led to a reduction of the air-sea heat loss in the Labrador Sea. The consequent convection weakening accompanied by an increase in stratification lowered the efficiency of the northern North Atlantic CO 2 sink.