Nordic seas transit time distributions and anthropogenic CO<sub>2</sub>

Olsen, Are; Omar, Abdirahman M; Jeansson, Emil; Anderson, Leif G.; Bellerby, R. G. J.

doi:10.1029/2009jc005488

Cited by 33 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 86 publications

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“…Oxygen undersaturation in the northern high latitudes during the convective season has been described as a consequence of gas exchange lagging behind strong heat loss2829.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Irminger Sea deep convection injects oxygen and anthropogenic carbon to the ocean interior

et al. 2016

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Deep convection in the subpolar North Atlantic ventilates the ocean for atmospheric gases through the formation of deep water masses. Variability in the intensity of deep convection is believed to have caused large variations in North Atlantic anthropogenic carbon storage over the past decades, but observations of the properties during active convection are missing. Here we document the origin, extent and chemical properties of the deepest winter mixed layers directly observed in the Irminger Sea. As a result of the deep convection in winter 2014–2015, driven by large oceanic heat loss, mid-depth oxygen concentrations were replenished and anthropogenic carbon storage rates almost tripled compared with Irminger Sea hydrographic section data in 1997 and 2003. Our observations provide unequivocal evidence that ocean ventilation and anthropogenic carbon uptake take place in the Irminger Sea and that their efficiency can be directly linked to atmospheric forcing.

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“…Oxygen undersaturation in the northern high latitudes during the convective season has been described as a consequence of gas exchange lagging behind strong heat loss2829.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Irminger Sea deep convection injects oxygen and anthropogenic carbon to the ocean interior

et al. 2016

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“…Recent work, however, shows that, relative to their area, these excluded regions store proportionately more C ant compared with the global ocean and thus contribute significant C ant to their respective adjacent major basins. Estimates for several marginal basins, including the Arctic , the Nordic seas (Olsen et al, 2010), the Mediterranean Sea (Schneider et al, 2010), and the East Sea (Sea of Japan) (Park et al, 2006), are now available (see Fig. 1).…”

Section: Results From Global Estimatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…5) (see also Levine et al (2011) and Wang et al (2012)). (Khatiwala et al, 2009); Arctic Ocean, 2.7-3.5 PgC ; the Nordic seas, 1.0-1.6 PgC (Olsen et al, 2010); the Mediterranean Sea, 1.6-2.5 PgC (Schneider et al, 2010); and the East Sea (Sea of Japan), 0.40 ± 0.06 PgC (Park et al, 2006).…”

Section: Results From Global Estimatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global ocean storage of anthropogenic carbon

et al. 2013

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The global ocean is a significant sink for anthropogenic carbon (C_ant), absorbing roughly a third of human CO₂ emitted over the industrial period. Robust estimates of the magnitude and variability of the storage and distribution of C_ant in the ocean are therefore important for understanding the human impact on climate. In this synthesis we review observational and model-based estimates of the storage and transport of C_ant in the ocean. We pay particular attention to the uncertainties and potential biases inherent in different inference schemes. On a global scale, three data-based estimates of the distribution and inventory of C_ant are now available. While the inventories are found to agree within their uncertainty, there are considerable differences in the spatial distribution. We also present a review of the progress made in the application of inverse and data assimilation techniques which combine ocean interior estimates of C_ant with numerical ocean circulation models. Such methods are especially useful for estimating the air–sea flux and interior transport of C_ant, quantities that are otherwise difficult to observe directly. However, the results are found to be highly dependent on modeled circulation, with the spread due to different ocean models at least as large as that from the different observational methods used to estimate C_ant. Our review also highlights the importance of repeat measurements of hydrographic and biogeochemical parameters to estimate the storage of C_ant on decadal timescales in the presence of the variability in circulation that is neglected by other approaches. Data-based C_ant estimates provide important constraints on forward ocean models, which exhibit both broad similarities and regional errors relative to the observational fields. A compilation of inventories of C_ant gives us a "best" estimate of the global ocean inventory of anthropogenic carbon in 2010 of 155 ± 31 PgC (±20% uncertainty). This estimate includes a broad range of values, suggesting that a combination of approaches is necessary in order to achieve a robust quantification of the ocean sink of anthropogenic CO₂

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“…The C ant estimated using the GF method usually falls in the middle of the range of all estimated C ant in these comparisons. The values of C ant TTD should be lower than the C ant C * , which assumes no mixing of waters Olsen et al, 2010). The global C ant inventory from the TTD method by Waugh et al (2006) is under the assumption of constant disequilibrium in the industrial era.…”

Section: Vertical Profiles Of C Antmentioning

confidence: 99%

Simulation of anthropogenic CO<sub>2</sub> uptake in the CCSM3.1 ocean circulation-biogeochemical model: comparison with data-based estimates

et al. 2012

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Abstract.The global ocean has taken up a large fraction of the CO 2 released by human activities since the industrial revolution. Quantifying the oceanic anthropogenic carbon (C ant ) inventory and its variability is important for predicting the future global carbon cycle. The detailed comparison of data-based and model-based estimates is essential for the validation and continued improvement of our prediction capabilities. So far, three global estimates of oceanic C ant inventory that are "data-based" and independent of global ocean circulation models have been produced: one based on the C* method, and two that are based on constraining surface-to-interior transport of tracers, the TTD method and a maximum entropy inversion method (GF). The GF method, in particular, is capable of reconstructing the history of C ant inventory through the industrial era. In the present study we use forward model simulations of the Community Climate System Model (CCSM3.1) to estimate the C ant inventory and compare the results with the data-based estimates. We also use the simulations to test several assumptions of the GF method, including the assumption of constant climate and circulation, which is common to all the data-based estimates. Though the integrated estimates of global C ant inventories are consistent with each other, the regional estimates show discrepancies up to 50 %. The CCSM3 model underestimates the total C ant inventory, in part due to weak mixing and ventilation in the North Atlantic and Southern Ocean. Analyses of different simulation results suggest that key assumptions about ocean circulation and air-sea disequilibrium in the GF method are generally valid on the global scale, but may introduce errors in C ant estimates on regional scales. The GF method should also be used with caution when predicting future oceanic anthropogenic carbon uptake.

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Nordic seas transit time distributions and anthropogenic CO₂

Cited by 33 publications

References 86 publications

Irminger Sea deep convection injects oxygen and anthropogenic carbon to the ocean interior

Irminger Sea deep convection injects oxygen and anthropogenic carbon to the ocean interior

Global ocean storage of anthropogenic carbon

Simulation of anthropogenic CO<sub>2</sub> uptake in the CCSM3.1 ocean circulation-biogeochemical model: comparison with data-based estimates

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Nordic seas transit time distributions and anthropogenic CO2

Cited by 33 publications

References 86 publications

Irminger Sea deep convection injects oxygen and anthropogenic carbon to the ocean interior

Irminger Sea deep convection injects oxygen and anthropogenic carbon to the ocean interior

Global ocean storage of anthropogenic carbon

Simulation of anthropogenic CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; uptake in the CCSM3.1 ocean circulation-biogeochemical model: comparison with data-based estimates

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Nordic seas transit time distributions and anthropogenic CO₂

Simulation of anthropogenic CO<sub>2</sub> uptake in the CCSM3.1 ocean circulation-biogeochemical model: comparison with data-based estimates