Sea-ice loss accelerates carbon cycling and enhances seasonal extremes of acidification in the Arctic Chukchi Sea

The Chukchi Sea shelf (CSS) is a highly productive region in the Arctic Ocean and it is highly efficient for absorbing atmospheric carbon dioxide and exporting and retaining carbon in the deep sea. However, with global warming, the carbon retention time in CSS may decrease, leading to less efficient...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Limnology and Oceanography Letters
Main Authors: Zhang, Yixing, Wu, Yingxu, Cai, Wei-Jun, Yi, Xiangqi, Gao, Xiang, Bi, Haibo, Zhuang, Yanpei, Chen, Liqi, Qi, Di
Format: Report
Language:English
Published: WILEY 2024
Subjects:
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Oceanography
Limnology
OCEAN ACIDIFICATION
CO2
SEAWATER
WATER
UNDERSATURATION
DISTRIBUTIONS
TEMPERATURES
CIRCULATION
SOLUBILITY
SALINITIES
Arctic
Arctic Ocean
Chukchi
Chukchi Sea
Climate change
Global warming
Ocean acidification
Sea ice
Online Access:http://ir.qdio.ac.cn/handle/337002/184401
http://ir.qdio.ac.cn/handle/337002/184402
https://doi.org/10.1002/lol2.10378
Description
Summary:The Chukchi Sea shelf (CSS) is a highly productive region in the Arctic Ocean and it is highly efficient for absorbing atmospheric carbon dioxide and exporting and retaining carbon in the deep sea. However, with global warming, the carbon retention time in CSS may decrease, leading to less efficient carbon export. Here, we investigate the seasonal variability of carbonate chemistry in CSS using three sets of late- vs. early-summer reoccupations of the same transect. Our findings demonstrate substantially increased and rapid degradation of biologically produced organic matter and therefore acidification over time in the southern CSS due to earlier sea-ice retreat, resulting in significantly shorter carbon retention time. In sharp contrast, no increased degradation has been observed in the northern CSS where photosynthesis has just commenced. In the future, climate change would further diminish the carbon export capacity and exacerbate seasonal acidification not only within CSS but also across other polar coastal oceans.

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