Rapid decline of the CO2buffering capacity in the North Sea and implications for the North Atlantic Ocean
New observations from the North Sea, a NW European shelf sea, show that between 2001 and 2005 the CO2 partial pressure (pCO2) in surface waters rose by 22 μatm, thus faster than atmospheric pCO2, which in the same period rose approximately 11 μatm. The surprisingly rapid decline in air‐sea partial p...
Published in: | Global Biogeochemical Cycles |
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AGU (American Geophysical Union)
2007
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Online Access: | https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/45011/ https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/45011/1/Thomas_et_al-2007-Global_Biogeochemical_Cycles.pdf https://doi.org/10.1029/2006GB002825 |
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ftoceanrep:oai:oceanrep.geomar.de:45011 2023-05-15T17:28:44+02:00 Rapid decline of the CO2buffering capacity in the North Sea and implications for the North Atlantic Ocean Thomas, Helmuth Prowe, A.E. Friederike van Heuven, Steven Bozec, Yann de Baar, Hein J. W. Schiettecatte, Laure-Sophie Suykens, Kim Koné, Mathieu Borges, Alberto V. Lima, Ivan D. Doney, Scott C. 2007-12 text https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/45011/ https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/45011/1/Thomas_et_al-2007-Global_Biogeochemical_Cycles.pdf https://doi.org/10.1029/2006GB002825 en eng AGU (American Geophysical Union) https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/45011/1/Thomas_et_al-2007-Global_Biogeochemical_Cycles.pdf Thomas, H., Prowe, A. E. F. , van Heuven, S., Bozec, Y., de Baar, H. J. W., Schiettecatte, L. S., Suykens, K., Koné, M., Borges, A. V., Lima, I. D. and Doney, S. C. (2007) Rapid decline of the CO2buffering capacity in the North Sea and implications for the North Atlantic Ocean. Open Access Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 21 (4). GB4001. DOI 10.1029/2006GB002825 <https://doi.org/10.1029/2006GB002825>. doi:10.1029/2006GB002825 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Article PeerReviewed 2007 ftoceanrep https://doi.org/10.1029/2006GB002825 2023-04-07T15:42:42Z New observations from the North Sea, a NW European shelf sea, show that between 2001 and 2005 the CO2 partial pressure (pCO2) in surface waters rose by 22 μatm, thus faster than atmospheric pCO2, which in the same period rose approximately 11 μatm. The surprisingly rapid decline in air‐sea partial pressure difference (ΔpCO2) is primarily a response to an elevated water column inventory of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), which, in turn, reflects mostly anthropogenic CO2 input rather than natural interannual variability. The resulting decline in the buffering capacity of the inorganic carbonate system (increasing Revelle factor) sets up a theoretically predicted feedback loop whereby the invasion of anthropogenic CO2 reduces the ocean's ability to uptake additional CO2. Model simulations for the North Atlantic Ocean and thermodynamic principles reveal that this feedback should be stronger, at present, in colder midlatitude and subpolar waters because of the lower present‐day buffer capacity and elevated DIC levels driven either by northward advected surface water and/or excess local air‐sea CO2 uptake. This buffer capacity feedback mechanism helps to explain at least part of the observed trend of decreasing air‐sea ΔpCO2 over time as reported in several other recent North Atlantic studies. Article in Journal/Newspaper North Atlantic OceanRep (GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre für Ocean Research Kiel) Global Biogeochemical Cycles 21 4 n/a n/a |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
OceanRep (GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre für Ocean Research Kiel) |
op_collection_id |
ftoceanrep |
language |
English |
description |
New observations from the North Sea, a NW European shelf sea, show that between 2001 and 2005 the CO2 partial pressure (pCO2) in surface waters rose by 22 μatm, thus faster than atmospheric pCO2, which in the same period rose approximately 11 μatm. The surprisingly rapid decline in air‐sea partial pressure difference (ΔpCO2) is primarily a response to an elevated water column inventory of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), which, in turn, reflects mostly anthropogenic CO2 input rather than natural interannual variability. The resulting decline in the buffering capacity of the inorganic carbonate system (increasing Revelle factor) sets up a theoretically predicted feedback loop whereby the invasion of anthropogenic CO2 reduces the ocean's ability to uptake additional CO2. Model simulations for the North Atlantic Ocean and thermodynamic principles reveal that this feedback should be stronger, at present, in colder midlatitude and subpolar waters because of the lower present‐day buffer capacity and elevated DIC levels driven either by northward advected surface water and/or excess local air‐sea CO2 uptake. This buffer capacity feedback mechanism helps to explain at least part of the observed trend of decreasing air‐sea ΔpCO2 over time as reported in several other recent North Atlantic studies. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Thomas, Helmuth Prowe, A.E. Friederike van Heuven, Steven Bozec, Yann de Baar, Hein J. W. Schiettecatte, Laure-Sophie Suykens, Kim Koné, Mathieu Borges, Alberto V. Lima, Ivan D. Doney, Scott C. |
spellingShingle |
Thomas, Helmuth Prowe, A.E. Friederike van Heuven, Steven Bozec, Yann de Baar, Hein J. W. Schiettecatte, Laure-Sophie Suykens, Kim Koné, Mathieu Borges, Alberto V. Lima, Ivan D. Doney, Scott C. Rapid decline of the CO2buffering capacity in the North Sea and implications for the North Atlantic Ocean |
author_facet |
Thomas, Helmuth Prowe, A.E. Friederike van Heuven, Steven Bozec, Yann de Baar, Hein J. W. Schiettecatte, Laure-Sophie Suykens, Kim Koné, Mathieu Borges, Alberto V. Lima, Ivan D. Doney, Scott C. |
author_sort |
Thomas, Helmuth |
title |
Rapid decline of the CO2buffering capacity in the North Sea and implications for the North Atlantic Ocean |
title_short |
Rapid decline of the CO2buffering capacity in the North Sea and implications for the North Atlantic Ocean |
title_full |
Rapid decline of the CO2buffering capacity in the North Sea and implications for the North Atlantic Ocean |
title_fullStr |
Rapid decline of the CO2buffering capacity in the North Sea and implications for the North Atlantic Ocean |
title_full_unstemmed |
Rapid decline of the CO2buffering capacity in the North Sea and implications for the North Atlantic Ocean |
title_sort |
rapid decline of the co2buffering capacity in the north sea and implications for the north atlantic ocean |
publisher |
AGU (American Geophysical Union) |
publishDate |
2007 |
url |
https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/45011/ https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/45011/1/Thomas_et_al-2007-Global_Biogeochemical_Cycles.pdf https://doi.org/10.1029/2006GB002825 |
genre |
North Atlantic |
genre_facet |
North Atlantic |
op_relation |
https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/45011/1/Thomas_et_al-2007-Global_Biogeochemical_Cycles.pdf Thomas, H., Prowe, A. E. F. , van Heuven, S., Bozec, Y., de Baar, H. J. W., Schiettecatte, L. S., Suykens, K., Koné, M., Borges, A. V., Lima, I. D. and Doney, S. C. (2007) Rapid decline of the CO2buffering capacity in the North Sea and implications for the North Atlantic Ocean. Open Access Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 21 (4). GB4001. DOI 10.1029/2006GB002825 <https://doi.org/10.1029/2006GB002825>. doi:10.1029/2006GB002825 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1029/2006GB002825 |
container_title |
Global Biogeochemical Cycles |
container_volume |
21 |
container_issue |
4 |
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1766121589331460096 |