CO/sub 2/ fluxes in the tropical Atlantic during FOCAL cruises
CO/sub 2/ partial pressures in the atmosphere and in surface seawater have been measured in the equatorial Atlantic Ocean during Programme Francais Ocean-Climat en Atlantique Equatorial cruises extending from July 1982 to August 1984 along the 4/degree/W, 22/degree/W, and 35/degree/W meridians. Gas transfer coefficients based on recently reported field data combined with information deduced from wind tunnel experiments are used to compute the CO/sub 2/ fluxes. The global mean net flux between 5/degree/N and 5/degree/S is equal to 1.05 mmol m/sup /minus/2/ d/sup /minus/1/ and is from the ocean to the atmosphere. The escape of CO/sub 2/ increases strongly from the east to the west and is always lower in the north than in the south. The importance of wind speed, pCO/sub 2/ in atmosphere, PCO/sub 2/ in surface seawater, and temperature on the flux variability is discussed. The relative influence of the equatorial upwelling on one hand and of the advection and warming of surface waters on the other hand is studied in order to explain high partial pressure in seawater. 59 refs., 15 figs., 5 tabs.
- Research Organization:
- Laboratoire d'Oceanographie Dynamique et de Climatologie, Departement de Physico-Chimie, Gif-sur-Yvette, France; Office de la Recherche Scientifique et Technique d'Outre-Mer, Dakar, Senegal
- OSTI ID:
- 6085685
- Journal Information:
- J. Geophys. Res.; (United States), Vol. 91:C10
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
58 GEOSCIENCES
AIR-WATER INTERACTIONS
VARIATIONS
CARBON DIOXIDE
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ATLANTIC OCEAN
FIELD TESTS
GLOBAL ASPECTS
MASS TRANSFER
SEAS
SURFACE WATERS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
TESTING
500100* - Environment
Atmospheric- Basic Studies- (-1989)
520100 - Environment
Aquatic- Basic Studies- (-1989)
580500 - Oceanography- (1980-1989)