South Atlantic interbasin exchanges of mass, heat, salt and anthropogenic carbon

The exchange of mass, heat, salt and anthropogenic carbon (Cant) between the South Atlantic, south of 24°S, and adjacent ocean basins is estimated from hydrographic data obtained during 2008-2009 using an inverse method. Transports of anthropogenic carbon are calculated across the western (Drake Pas...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Progress in Oceanography
Main Authors: Evans, G.R., McDonagh, E.L., King, B.A., Bryden, H.L., Bakker, D.C.E., Brown, P.J., Schuster, U., Speer, K.G., van Heuven, S.M.A.C.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2017
Subjects:
Antarctic
Drake Passage
Indian
Southern Ocean
The Antarctic
Antarc*
North Atlantic
Online Access:https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/61558/
https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/61558/1/Accepted_manuscript.pdf
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2016.11.005
Description
Summary:The exchange of mass, heat, salt and anthropogenic carbon (Cant) between the South Atlantic, south of 24°S, and adjacent ocean basins is estimated from hydrographic data obtained during 2008-2009 using an inverse method. Transports of anthropogenic carbon are calculated across the western (Drake Passage), eastern (30°E) and northern (24°S) boundaries. The freshwater overturning transport of 0.09 Sv is southward, consistent with an overturning circulation that exports freshwater from the North Atlantic, and consistent with a bistable Meridional Overturning Circulation (MOC), under conditions of excess freshwater perturbation. At 30°E, net eastward Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) transport, south of the Subtropical Front, is compensated by a 15.9±2.3 Sv westward flow along the Antarctic boundary. The region as a whole is a substantial sink for atmospheric anthropogenic carbon of 0.51±0.37 PgC yr-1, of which 0.18±0.12 PgC yr-1 accumulates and is stored within the water column. At 24°S, a 20.2 Sv meridional overturning is associated with a 0.11 PgC yr-1 Cant overturning. The remainder is transported into the Atlantic Ocean north of 24°S (0.28±0.16 PgC yr-1) and Indian sector of Southern Ocean (1.12±0.43 PgC yr-1), having been enhanced by inflow through Drake Passage (1.07±0.44 PgC yr-1). This underlines the importance of the South Atlantic as a crucial element of the anthropogenic carbon sink in the global oceans.

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