INFLUENCE OF PHYSICAL AND BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES ON THE CONCENTRATION OF O-2 AND CO2 IN THE ICE-COVERED WEDDELL SEA IN THE SPRING OF 1988

• Main Authors: BOUQUEGNEAU, JM, GIESKES, WWC, KRAAY, GW, LARSSON, AM
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 1992
• Subjects: SOUTHERN-OCEAN; MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES; WATER; ANTARCTICA; SEAWATER; MICROALGAE; TITRATION; Antarctic; Antarctic Ocean; Southern Ocean; Weddell; Weddell Sea; Antarc*; Antarctica; Polar Biology
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/11370/02181631-fb36-4971-9dc9-246ee4bc13a7; https://research.rug.nl/en/publications/influence-of-physical-and-biological-processes-on-the-concentration-of-o2-and-co2-in-the-icecovered-weddell-sea-in-the-spring-of-1988(02181631-fb36-4971-9dc9-246ee4bc13a7).html

In October and November 1988, measurements of oxygen and total dissolved inorganic carbon (TCO2) concentrations were made in the northwestern Weddell Sea to the south and north of the marginal ice edge, in order to estimate the relative importance, regarding their variations, of both biological (photosynthesis and respiration) and physical (transport of O2 and CO2 by turbulent movements and by intrusion from the atmosphere) processes. In the ice-covered region, both respiration and upwelling determined the O2 and TCO2 variations, whilst in the open water just north of the marginal ice edge, photosynthetic activity was the most important factor controlling O2 and TCO2 levels. These findings underline the importance of the activity of the pelagic ecosystem in determining the concentration of O2 and CO2 not only in the ice-free but also in the ice-covered Antarctic Ocean.