Nitrous oxide in the Bellingshausen Sea and Drake Passage

Concentrations of dissolved and atmospheric nitrous oxide, N2O, were measured in the austral spring of 1992 in the Drake Passage and Bellingshausen Sea as part of the United Kingdom Joint Global Ocean Flux Study expedition to the Southern Ocean. The measured atmospheric mixing ratio was 313±5 parts...

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Published in:Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans
Main Authors: Rees, A. P., Owens, N. J. P., Upstill-goddard, R. C.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 1997
Subjects:
Online Access:https://pure.uhi.ac.uk/en/publications/38396873-246d-44a0-b95a-033c7bce8ca4
https://doi.org/10.1029/96JC03350
http://doi.wiley.com/10.1029/96JC03350
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spelling ftuhipublicatio:oai:pure.atira.dk:publications/38396873-246d-44a0-b95a-033c7bce8ca4 2024-01-28T10:01:31+01:00 Nitrous oxide in the Bellingshausen Sea and Drake Passage Rees, A. P. Owens, N. J. P. Upstill-goddard, R. C. 1997-02-15 https://pure.uhi.ac.uk/en/publications/38396873-246d-44a0-b95a-033c7bce8ca4 https://doi.org/10.1029/96JC03350 http://doi.wiley.com/10.1029/96JC03350 eng eng info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Rees , A P , Owens , N J P & Upstill-goddard , R C 1997 , ' Nitrous oxide in the Bellingshausen Sea and Drake Passage ' , Journal of Geophysical Research , vol. 102 , no. C2 , pp. 3383-3391 . https://doi.org/10.1029/96JC03350 article 1997 ftuhipublicatio https://doi.org/10.1029/96JC03350 2024-01-04T23:21:37Z Concentrations of dissolved and atmospheric nitrous oxide, N2O, were measured in the austral spring of 1992 in the Drake Passage and Bellingshausen Sea as part of the United Kingdom Joint Global Ocean Flux Study expedition to the Southern Ocean. The measured atmospheric mixing ratio was 313±5 parts per billion by volume, in agreement with the hemispherically corrected global mean. In the Drake Passage, surface N2O saturations were generally very close to atmospheric equilibrium, 99.7±3%, although several anomalous points were associated with the presence of frontal and eddy-like features within the Antarctic Polar Frontal Zone and at the Continental Water Boundary. Further to the south, a series of oceanographic stations and two surface transects along the 85°W meridian between 65.28°S and 70.32°S revealed a transition from undersaturated conditions in open water to oversaturated conditions in the marginal ice zone, in the upper mixed layer (75–100 m). These observations reflect upwelling of Circumpolar Deep Water at approximately 70°S, resulting in the accumulation of N2O under the winter sea ice and its subsequent release to the atmosphere following the ice retreat. Sea-air N2O fluxes were estimated from the product of the surface N2O anomaly and the modeled gas transfer coefficients of Liss and Merlivat [1986] and Wanninkhof [1992] to find a maximum rate of +3.1 μmol N2O m−2 d−1. North of the upwelling region, Antarctic Surface Water formed from the mixing of surface waters and ice melt was moderately depleted in N2O with respect to the atmosphere, a minimum 90% of saturation. This sink area was estimated to extend between 65.28°S and 69.57°S with a mean sea-air flux of between −0.6±0.4 and −0.9±0.7 μmol N2O m−2 d−1. The region studied at 85°W (65.28°S to 70.32°S) revealed source and sink areas which were largely determined by the changing physical hydrography, so that overall there was a small net negative flux of between −0.06±0.9 and −0.09±1.4 μmol N2O m−2 d−1. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Bellingshausen Sea Drake Passage Sea ice Southern Ocean University of the Highlands and Islands: Research Database of UHI Antarctic Austral Bellingshausen Sea Drake Passage Southern Ocean The Antarctic Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 102 C2 3383 3391
institution Open Polar
collection University of the Highlands and Islands: Research Database of UHI
op_collection_id ftuhipublicatio
language English
description Concentrations of dissolved and atmospheric nitrous oxide, N2O, were measured in the austral spring of 1992 in the Drake Passage and Bellingshausen Sea as part of the United Kingdom Joint Global Ocean Flux Study expedition to the Southern Ocean. The measured atmospheric mixing ratio was 313±5 parts per billion by volume, in agreement with the hemispherically corrected global mean. In the Drake Passage, surface N2O saturations were generally very close to atmospheric equilibrium, 99.7±3%, although several anomalous points were associated with the presence of frontal and eddy-like features within the Antarctic Polar Frontal Zone and at the Continental Water Boundary. Further to the south, a series of oceanographic stations and two surface transects along the 85°W meridian between 65.28°S and 70.32°S revealed a transition from undersaturated conditions in open water to oversaturated conditions in the marginal ice zone, in the upper mixed layer (75–100 m). These observations reflect upwelling of Circumpolar Deep Water at approximately 70°S, resulting in the accumulation of N2O under the winter sea ice and its subsequent release to the atmosphere following the ice retreat. Sea-air N2O fluxes were estimated from the product of the surface N2O anomaly and the modeled gas transfer coefficients of Liss and Merlivat [1986] and Wanninkhof [1992] to find a maximum rate of +3.1 μmol N2O m−2 d−1. North of the upwelling region, Antarctic Surface Water formed from the mixing of surface waters and ice melt was moderately depleted in N2O with respect to the atmosphere, a minimum 90% of saturation. This sink area was estimated to extend between 65.28°S and 69.57°S with a mean sea-air flux of between −0.6±0.4 and −0.9±0.7 μmol N2O m−2 d−1. The region studied at 85°W (65.28°S to 70.32°S) revealed source and sink areas which were largely determined by the changing physical hydrography, so that overall there was a small net negative flux of between −0.06±0.9 and −0.09±1.4 μmol N2O m−2 d−1.
format Article in Journal/Newspaper
author Rees, A. P.
Owens, N. J. P.
Upstill-goddard, R. C.
spellingShingle Rees, A. P.
Owens, N. J. P.
Upstill-goddard, R. C.
Nitrous oxide in the Bellingshausen Sea and Drake Passage
author_facet Rees, A. P.
Owens, N. J. P.
Upstill-goddard, R. C.
author_sort Rees, A. P.
title Nitrous oxide in the Bellingshausen Sea and Drake Passage
title_short Nitrous oxide in the Bellingshausen Sea and Drake Passage
title_full Nitrous oxide in the Bellingshausen Sea and Drake Passage
title_fullStr Nitrous oxide in the Bellingshausen Sea and Drake Passage
title_full_unstemmed Nitrous oxide in the Bellingshausen Sea and Drake Passage
title_sort nitrous oxide in the bellingshausen sea and drake passage
publishDate 1997
url https://pure.uhi.ac.uk/en/publications/38396873-246d-44a0-b95a-033c7bce8ca4
https://doi.org/10.1029/96JC03350
http://doi.wiley.com/10.1029/96JC03350
geographic Antarctic
Austral
Bellingshausen Sea
Drake Passage
Southern Ocean
The Antarctic
geographic_facet Antarctic
Austral
Bellingshausen Sea
Drake Passage
Southern Ocean
The Antarctic
genre Antarc*
Antarctic
Bellingshausen Sea
Drake Passage
Sea ice
Southern Ocean
genre_facet Antarc*
Antarctic
Bellingshausen Sea
Drake Passage
Sea ice
Southern Ocean
op_source Rees , A P , Owens , N J P & Upstill-goddard , R C 1997 , ' Nitrous oxide in the Bellingshausen Sea and Drake Passage ' , Journal of Geophysical Research , vol. 102 , no. C2 , pp. 3383-3391 . https://doi.org/10.1029/96JC03350
op_rights info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
op_doi https://doi.org/10.1029/96JC03350
container_title Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans
container_volume 102
container_issue C2
container_start_page 3383
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