Seasonal variability of surface ocean pCO2 and air-Sea CO2 flux in the continental shelf of the US east coast

Sergio Signorini, NASA GSFC, sergio.signorini@nasa.gov (Presenter)
Antonio Mannino, NASA GSFC, antonio.mannino@nasa.gov
Marjorie Friedrichs, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, marjy@vims.edu
Bronwyn Cahill, Rutgers University, bronwyn@marine.rutgers.edu

This study combines in situ observations, satellite-based algorithm development, and numerical modelling to investigate the seasonal variability of surface ocean pCO2 and air-sea CO₂ flux along the US east coast continental shelf. The study objectives are: (1) to develop an empirical surface ocean pCO₂ algorithm based on physical and biological proxy parameters (SST, SSS, MLD, Chl-a, CDOM, POC); (2) to construct maps of pCO₂ and air-sea CO₂ flux for the US east coast; (3) to analyze the physical-biogeochemical interactions that control phytoplankton blooms and how they affect the uptake of atmospheric CO₂; and (4) to analyze the effects of the solubility and biological pumps on surface-ocean pCO₂ variability. Satellite products used in this algorithm development effort consist of MODIS-Aqua SST, Chl-a, POC, and CDOM, and SeaWiFS Chl-a, POC, and CDOM. Ancillary data sets used here include 3D ocean model products (SST, SSS, MLD), NCEP-2 Reanalysis data (winds), and in situ carbon data from available sources (underway pCO₂ and station data). The accuracy of the satellite-based algorithm is found to be largely dependent on data availability, which is regionally biased in time and space.

The pCO₂ analysis described here is part of a larger interdisciplinary effort (the U.S. ECoS Project), which includes a 3D physical-biogeochemical numerical modelling component and aims to determine carbon budgets and fluxes along the US east coast continental shelf. In the analysis presented here, model-data and model-algorithm comparisons were made to evaluate the accuracy of the different pCO₂ methodologies. In addition, the effect of DOM dynamics on the surface ocean pCO₂ and air-sea CO₂ flux variability was assessed by comparing results between model runs with and without DOM.

Presentation Type:  Poster

Session:  Coupled Processes at Land-Atmosphere-Ocean Interfaces   (Mon 4:00 PM)

Associated Project(s): 

• Friedrichs, Marjy: U.S. Eastern Continential Shelf Carbon Cycling (USECoS): modeling, data assimilation and analysis ...details

Poster Location ID: 83