Factors limiting the reduction of atmospheric CO, by iron fertilization. Limnol. Oceanogr. 36: 19 19-l 927

• Main Authors: Tsung-hung Peng, Wallace S. Broecker
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1991
• Subjects: Antarctic; Antarctic Ocean; The Antarctic; Antarc*
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.523.90; http://www.aslo.org/lo/toc/vol_36/issue_8/1919.pdf

A limit on the reduction in atmospheric CO, partial pressure (PC03 in the next century resulting from purposeful Fe fertilization of the Antarctic Ocean is estimated with an advection-diffusion model calibrated with transient tracer distributions. To evaluate the possible increase in atmo-spheric CO, with and without fertilization, we adopt a “business-as-usual ” scenario of anthro-pogenic CO, emission. Such increase is computed from the atmospheric pC0, in the ocean-atmosphere total C system as it responds to this emission scenario. Assuming completely successful Fe fertilization, we calculate an 8 % atmospheric CO2 reduction for a case with a 3 cm2 s-I vertical diffusivity and 17.4 Sv upwelling flux, as derived from distribution of bomb-14C in the ocean. Hence, if atmosphericpC0, reaches 800 patm in the next century, the maximum possible reduction is- 64 patm. Doubling of upwelling flux to 34.8 Sv results in a reduction of 96 palm. If we assume the surface area of the Antarctic Ocean is 16 % of the total ocean area instead of 10 % as used in the standard case, the reduction is- 7 1 patm. These results are independent of the respiration function adopted. As we hold the surface water PO, content at a near-zero value, it makes no difference at what depth the organic material is oxidized (or whether it falls to the bottom and