Rapid invasion of anthropogenic CO2 into the deep circulation of the Weddell Gyre

Data are presented for total carbon dioxide (TCO2), oxygen and nutrients from 14 cruises covering two repeat sections across the Weddell Gyre, from 1973 to 2010. Assessments of the rate of increase in anthropogenic CO2 (C-ant) are made at three locations. Along the Prime Meridian, TCO2 is observed t...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences
Main Authors: van Heuven, Steven M. A. C., Hoppema, Mario, Jones, Elisabeth Marie, de Baar, Henricus
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2014
Subjects:
anthropogenic carbon
macronutrients
dissolved oxygen
Weddell Sea
Antarctic
Weddell Sea Bottom Water
ANTARCTIC BOTTOM WATER
CARBON-DIOXIDE
SEA
OCEAN
VARIABILITY
TRANSPORT
STORAGE
EXPORT
Antarctic Peninsula
The Antarctic
Weddell
Antarc*
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/11370/08bea828-b159-439e-8386-aba379978385
https://research.rug.nl/en/publications/08bea828-b159-439e-8386-aba379978385
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2013.0056
Description
Summary:Data are presented for total carbon dioxide (TCO2), oxygen and nutrients from 14 cruises covering two repeat sections across the Weddell Gyre, from 1973 to 2010. Assessments of the rate of increase in anthropogenic CO2 (C-ant) are made at three locations. Along the Prime Meridian, TCO2 is observed to steadily increase in the bottom water. Accompanying changes in silicate, nitrate and oxygen confirm the non-steady state of the Weddell circulation. The rate of increase in TCO2 of + 0.12 +/- 0.05 mu mol kg(-1) yr(-1) therefore poses an upper limit to the rate of increase in Cant. By contrast, the bottom water located in the central Weddell Sea exhibits no significant increase in TCO2, suggesting that thiswater is less well ventilated at the southern margins of the Weddell Sea. At the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula (i. e. the formation region of the bottom water found at the Prime Meridian), the high rate of increase in TCO2 over time observed at the lowest temperatures suggests that nearly full equilibration occurs with the anthropogenic CO2 of the atmosphere. This observation constitutes rare evidence for the possibility that ice cover is not a major impediment for uptake of Cant in this prominent deep water formation region.

Similar Items