Work

Scale‐Dependent Drivers of Air‐Sea CO2 Flux Variability

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: In climate studies, it is crucial to distinguish between changes caused by natural variability and those resulting from external forcing. Here we use a suite of numerical experiments based on the ECCO‐Darwin ocean biogeochemistry model to separate the impact of the atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) growth rate and climate on the ocean carbon sink — with a goal of disentangling the space‐time variability of the dominant drivers. When globally integrated, the variable atmospheric growth rate and climate exhibit similar magnitude impacts on ocean carbon uptake. At local scales, interannual variability in air‐sea CO2 flux is dominated by climate. The implications of our study for real‐world ocean observing systems are clear: in order to detect future changes in the ocean sink due to slowing atmospheric CO2 growth rates, better observing systems and constraints on climate‐driven ocean variability are required.

Source: Geophysical Research Letters

DOI: 10.1029/2024gl111911

Authors: Amanda R. Fay, Dustin Carroll, Galen A. McKinley, Dimitris Menemenlis, Hong Zhang

Institutions: Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, San Jose State University, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories

Language: English

Topic: Marine and coastal ecosystems

Subfield: Oceanography

Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Climate action, Life below water

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,900