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University of Colorado Boulder

Publication Date

Spring 2024

Program Name

Iceland: Climate Change and The Arctic

Abstract

The world ocean, specifically the Arctic, serves as one of the greatest mitigators for anthropogenic carbon dioxide release, making the study of high latitude ocean carbonate chemistry an increasingly important topic. While much work has been done concerning the science of acidification and future model projections, analyzing data to detect decadal anthropogenic trends and effects is also highly important. Aiming to add to this data pool, this study investigated the ocean carbonate system at three North Atlantic mooring locations at polar, subtropical, and tropical latitudes from 2013 - 2021. Time series datasets of the pH and pCO₂ of surface water along with boundary layer air pCO₂ from each mooring location were analyzed, and a partial pressure ratio (pCO₂sw/pCO₂air) was calculated to investigate saturation and flux more effectively. Important findings included decreasing pH, increasing seawater pCO₂ and increasing air pCO₂ at all three moorings, along with significant correlation between seawater pCO₂ and air-sea CO₂ flux direction across all latitudes. Comparison with past research indicated clearer trends likely occur with larger data availability and strong implications for future Arctic ocean carbon uptake.

Disciplines

Climate | Environmental Chemistry | Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment | Oceanography

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