Abstract
Air-sea exchange of carbon dioxide (CO$_2$) in the Southern Ocean
plays an important role in the global carbon budget. Previous studies
have suggested that flow around topographic features of the Southern
Ocean enhances the upward supply of carbon from the deep to the surface,
influencing air-sea CO$_2$ exchange. Here, we investigate the role of
seafloor topography on the transport of carbon and associated air-sea
CO$_2$ flux in an idealized channel model. We find elevated CO$_2$
outgassing downstream of a seafloor ridge, driven by anomalous advection
of dissolved inorganic carbon. Argo-like Lagrangian particles in our
channel model sample heterogeneously in the vicinity of the seafloor
ridge, which could impact float-based estimates of CO$_2$ flux.