Circulation-driven variability of Atlantic anthropogenic carbon transports and uptake
The ocean absorbs approximately a quarter of the carbon dioxide currently released to the atmosphere by human activities (Canth). A disproportionately large fraction accumulates in the North Atlantic due to the combined effects of transport by the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) a...
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ftnerc:oai:nora.nerc.ac.uk:531022 2023-05-15T17:27:30+02:00 Circulation-driven variability of Atlantic anthropogenic carbon transports and uptake Brown, Peter J. McDonagh, Elaine L. Sanders, Richard Watson, Andrew J. Wanninkhof, Rik King, Brian A. Smeed, David A. Baringer, Molly O. Meinen, Christopher S. Schuster, Ute Yool, Andrew Messias, Marie-José 2021-07-08 text http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/531022/ https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/531022/1/RAPID%20Carbon%20fluxes%20at%2026N%20v19%20NORA%20AAM.pdf https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-021-00774-5 en eng https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/531022/1/RAPID%20Carbon%20fluxes%20at%2026N%20v19%20NORA%20AAM.pdf Brown, Peter J. orcid:0000-0002-1152-1114 McDonagh, Elaine L.; Sanders, Richard orcid:0000-0002-6884-7131 Watson, Andrew J.; Wanninkhof, Rik; King, Brian A. orcid:0000-0003-1338-3234 Smeed, David A. orcid:0000-0003-1740-1778 Baringer, Molly O.; Meinen, Christopher S.; Schuster, Ute; Yool, Andrew orcid:0000-0002-9879-2776 Messias, Marie-José. 2021 Circulation-driven variability of Atlantic anthropogenic carbon transports and uptake. Nature Geoscience, 14 (8). 571-577. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-021-00774-5 <https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-021-00774-5> Publication - Article PeerReviewed 2021 ftnerc https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-021-00774-5 2023-02-04T19:52:32Z The ocean absorbs approximately a quarter of the carbon dioxide currently released to the atmosphere by human activities (Canth). A disproportionately large fraction accumulates in the North Atlantic due to the combined effects of transport by the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) and air–sea exchange. However, discrepancies exist between modelled and observed estimates of the air–sea exchange due to unresolved ocean transport variability. Here we quantify the strength and variability of Canth transports across 26.5° N in the North Atlantic between 2004 and 2012 using circulation measurements from the RAPID mooring array and hydrographic observations. Over this period, decreasing circulation strength tended to decrease northward Canth transport, while increasing Canth concentrations (preferentially in the upper limb of the overturning circulation) tended to increase northward Canth transport. These two processes compensated each other over the 8.5-year period. While ocean transport and air–sea Canth fluxes are approximately equal in magnitude, the increasing accumulation rate of Canth in the North Atlantic combined with a stable ocean transport supply means we infer a growing contribution from air–sea Canth fluxes over the period. North Atlantic Canth accumulation is thus sensitive to AMOC strength, but growing atmospheric Canth uptake continues to significantly impact Canth transports. Article in Journal/Newspaper North Atlantic Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive Nature Geoscience 14 8 571 577 |
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Open Polar |
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Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive |
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ftnerc |
language |
English |
description |
The ocean absorbs approximately a quarter of the carbon dioxide currently released to the atmosphere by human activities (Canth). A disproportionately large fraction accumulates in the North Atlantic due to the combined effects of transport by the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) and air–sea exchange. However, discrepancies exist between modelled and observed estimates of the air–sea exchange due to unresolved ocean transport variability. Here we quantify the strength and variability of Canth transports across 26.5° N in the North Atlantic between 2004 and 2012 using circulation measurements from the RAPID mooring array and hydrographic observations. Over this period, decreasing circulation strength tended to decrease northward Canth transport, while increasing Canth concentrations (preferentially in the upper limb of the overturning circulation) tended to increase northward Canth transport. These two processes compensated each other over the 8.5-year period. While ocean transport and air–sea Canth fluxes are approximately equal in magnitude, the increasing accumulation rate of Canth in the North Atlantic combined with a stable ocean transport supply means we infer a growing contribution from air–sea Canth fluxes over the period. North Atlantic Canth accumulation is thus sensitive to AMOC strength, but growing atmospheric Canth uptake continues to significantly impact Canth transports. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Brown, Peter J. McDonagh, Elaine L. Sanders, Richard Watson, Andrew J. Wanninkhof, Rik King, Brian A. Smeed, David A. Baringer, Molly O. Meinen, Christopher S. Schuster, Ute Yool, Andrew Messias, Marie-José |
spellingShingle |
Brown, Peter J. McDonagh, Elaine L. Sanders, Richard Watson, Andrew J. Wanninkhof, Rik King, Brian A. Smeed, David A. Baringer, Molly O. Meinen, Christopher S. Schuster, Ute Yool, Andrew Messias, Marie-José Circulation-driven variability of Atlantic anthropogenic carbon transports and uptake |
author_facet |
Brown, Peter J. McDonagh, Elaine L. Sanders, Richard Watson, Andrew J. Wanninkhof, Rik King, Brian A. Smeed, David A. Baringer, Molly O. Meinen, Christopher S. Schuster, Ute Yool, Andrew Messias, Marie-José |
author_sort |
Brown, Peter J. |
title |
Circulation-driven variability of Atlantic anthropogenic carbon transports and uptake |
title_short |
Circulation-driven variability of Atlantic anthropogenic carbon transports and uptake |
title_full |
Circulation-driven variability of Atlantic anthropogenic carbon transports and uptake |
title_fullStr |
Circulation-driven variability of Atlantic anthropogenic carbon transports and uptake |
title_full_unstemmed |
Circulation-driven variability of Atlantic anthropogenic carbon transports and uptake |
title_sort |
circulation-driven variability of atlantic anthropogenic carbon transports and uptake |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/531022/ https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/531022/1/RAPID%20Carbon%20fluxes%20at%2026N%20v19%20NORA%20AAM.pdf https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-021-00774-5 |
genre |
North Atlantic |
genre_facet |
North Atlantic |
op_relation |
https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/531022/1/RAPID%20Carbon%20fluxes%20at%2026N%20v19%20NORA%20AAM.pdf Brown, Peter J. orcid:0000-0002-1152-1114 McDonagh, Elaine L.; Sanders, Richard orcid:0000-0002-6884-7131 Watson, Andrew J.; Wanninkhof, Rik; King, Brian A. orcid:0000-0003-1338-3234 Smeed, David A. orcid:0000-0003-1740-1778 Baringer, Molly O.; Meinen, Christopher S.; Schuster, Ute; Yool, Andrew orcid:0000-0002-9879-2776 Messias, Marie-José. 2021 Circulation-driven variability of Atlantic anthropogenic carbon transports and uptake. Nature Geoscience, 14 (8). 571-577. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-021-00774-5 <https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-021-00774-5> |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-021-00774-5 |
container_title |
Nature Geoscience |
container_volume |
14 |
container_issue |
8 |
container_start_page |
571 |
op_container_end_page |
577 |
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1766119645155164160 |