Uncoupled transport of chlorofluorocarbons and anthropogenic carbon in the subpolar North Atlantic

Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) 11 and 12 transports across the transoceanic World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) A25 section in the subpolarNorthAtlantic are derived from an inverse model using hydrographic and ADCP data (Lherminier et al., 2007). CFC and anthropogeniccarbon (CANT) advective transpor...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers
Main Authors: Álvarez, Marta, Gourcuff, Claire
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2010
Subjects:
Anthropogenic carbon
CFC
Advective transports
Subpolar North Atlantic
Greenland
Irminger Sea
East Greenland
east greenland current
Labrador Sea
North Atlantic
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/54778
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2010.03.009
Description
Summary:Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) 11 and 12 transports across the transoceanic World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) A25 section in the subpolarNorthAtlantic are derived from an inverse model using hydrographic and ADCP data (Lherminier et al., 2007). CFC and anthropogeniccarbon (CANT) advective transports contrary to expected are uncoupled: CANT is transported northeastwards (82±39 kmol s−1) mainly within the overturning circulation, while CFC-11 and CFC-12 are transported southwestwards (−24±4 and −11±2 mol s−1, respectively) as part of the large-scale horizontal circulation. The main reason for this uncoupled behaviour is the complex CFC vs. CANT relation in the ocean, which stems from the contrasting temperature relation for both tracers: more CANT dissolves in warmer waters with a low Revelle factor, while CFC’s solubility is higher in cold waters. These results point to CANT and CFC having different routes of uptake, accumulation and transport within the ocean, and hence: CANTtransport would be more sensitive to changes in the overturning circulation strength, while CFC to changes in the East Greenland Current and Labrador Sea Water formation in the Irminger Sea. Additionally, CANT and CFCs would have different sensitivities to circulation and climate changes derived from global warming as the slowdown of the overturning circulation, increase stratification due to warming and changes in wind stress. Este trabajo fue financiado por MOREBIS (CTM2008-01554-E). Peer reviewed

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