Spatio-temporal variability of CO2 fluxes in the Atlantic sector of the
Southern Ocean
Abstract
The Southern Ocean (SO) plays a fundamental role in the planet’s climate
system, due to its ability to absorb and redistribute heat and CO2 (an
important greenhouse gas). Besides, the SO interconnects three large
oceanic basins the Pacific, the Atlantic, and the Indian Oceans, and it
has an important role in the nutrient distribution into these oceans.
However, the SO is poorly sampled with most measurements made in austral
spring and summer. The variability of the air-sea CO2 flux is estimated,
as well as the role of atmospheric and oceanic variables in this
variability. The CO2 fluxes are calculated by the bulk parameterization
method, in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean, from 2003 to 2022,
using in situ measurements, satellites and reanalysis data set. A neural
network model is built to produce maps of the partial pressure of CO2 in
seawater (pCO2sea). The CO2 flux varies from -0.05 to 0.05 gC m-²
month-1. The Atlantic sector of the SO is a sink of CO2 in summer and
spring and becomes a source in austral winter and autumn. The CO2
absorption intensifies from 2003 to 2022 by 7.6 mmol m-²month-1, due
stronger westerly winds, related to the trend of the positive phase of
the Antarctic Oscillation and the extreme events of El Niño and La Niña.