Sea ice suppression of CO 2 outgassing in the West Antarctic Peninsula: implications for the evolving Southern Ocean carbon sink

The Southern Ocean plays an important role in the uptake of atmospheric CO 2 . In seasonally ice-covered regions, estimates of air-sea exchange remain uncertain in part because of a lack of observations outside the summer season. Here we present new estimates of air-sea CO 2 flux in the West Antarct...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical Research Letters
Main Authors: Shadwick, EH, De Meo, OA, Schroeter, S, Arroyo, MC, Martinson, DG, Ducklow, H
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Amer Geophysical Union 2021
Subjects:
Earth Sciences
Oceanography
Chemical oceanography
Antarctic
Antarctic Peninsula
Southern Ocean
Antarc*
Sea ice
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL091835
http://ecite.utas.edu.au/150359
Description
Summary:The Southern Ocean plays an important role in the uptake of atmospheric CO 2 . In seasonally ice-covered regions, estimates of air-sea exchange remain uncertain in part because of a lack of observations outside the summer season. Here we present new estimates of air-sea CO 2 flux in the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) from an autonomous mooring on the continental shelf. In summer, the WAP is a sink for atmospheric CO 2 followed by a slow return to atmospheric equilibrium in autumn and winter. Outgassing is almost entirely suppressed by ice cover from June through October, resulting in a modest net annual CO 2 sink. Model projections indicate sea ice formation will occur later in the season in the coming decades potentially weakening the net oceanic CO 2 sink. Interannual variability in the WAP is significant, highlighting the importance of sustained observations of air-sea exchange in this rapidly changing region of the Southern Ocean.

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