The reinvigoration of the Southern Ocean carbon sink

Several studies have suggested that the carbon sink in the Southern Oceanthe oceans strongest region for the uptake of anthropogenic CO 2 has weakened in recent decades. We demonstrated, on the basis of multidecadal analyses of surface ocean CO 2 observations, that this weakening trend stopped aroun...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science
Main Authors: Landschutzer, P, Gruber, N, Haumann, FA, Rodenbeck, C, Bakker, DCE, van Heuven, S, Hoppema, M, Metzl, N, Sweeney, C, Takahashi, T, Tilbrook, B, Wanninkhof, R
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Amer Assoc Advancement Science 2015
Subjects:
Earth Sciences
Oceanography
Chemical Oceanography
Southern Ocean
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aab2620
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26359401
http://ecite.utas.edu.au/106766
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Summary:Several studies have suggested that the carbon sink in the Southern Oceanthe oceans strongest region for the uptake of anthropogenic CO 2 has weakened in recent decades. We demonstrated, on the basis of multidecadal analyses of surface ocean CO 2 observations, that this weakening trend stopped around 2002, and by 2012, the Southern Ocean had regained its expected strength based on the growth of atmospheric CO 2 . All three Southern Ocean sectors have contributed to this reinvigoration of the carbon sink, yet differences in the processes between sectors exist, related to a tendency toward a zonally more asymmetric atmospheric circulation. The large decadal variations in the Southern Ocean carbon sink suggest a rather dynamic ocean carbon cycle that varies more in time than previously recognized.

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