skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Measurements of the total CO[sub 2] concentration and partial pressure of CO[sub 2] in seawater during WOCE expeditions in the South Pacific Ocean

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6181394· OSTI ID:6181394

During the first year of the grant, we participated in three WOCE expeditions (a total of 152 days at sea) in the South Pacific Ocean, and the field phase of the proposed investigation has been successfully completed. The total CO[sub 2] concentration and pCO[sub 2] were determined at sea in 4419 water samples collected at 422 stations. On the basis of the shipboard analyses of SIO Reference Solutions for CO, and a comparison with the results of previous expeditions, the overall precision of our total CO[sub 2] determinations is estimated to be about [plus minus]2 uM/kg. The deep water data indicate that there is a CO[sub 2] maximum centered about 2600 meters deep. This appears to represent a southward return flow from the North Pacific. The magnitude and distribution of the CO, maximum observed along the 135.0[degrees]W meridian differ from those observed along the 150.5[degrees]W meridian due to Tuamotu Archipelago, a topographic high which interferes with the southward return flow. The surface water pCO[sub 2] data indicate that the South Pacific sub-tropical gyre water located between about 15[degrees]S and 50[degrees]S is a sink for atmospheric CO[sub 2].

Research Organization:
Columbia Univ., Palisades, NY (United States). Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
FG02-93ER61539
OSTI ID:
6181394
Report Number(s):
DOE/ER/61539-1; ON: DE93018158
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English