On the relations between the oceanic uptake of CO{sub 2} and its carbon isotopes
- Max-Planck-Institut fuer Meteorologie, Hamburg (Germany)
The first part of this paper reviews the derivation and compares the results of three methods to determine the oceanic uptake of excess carbon dioxide. For the time period 1970 to 1990, the three methods yield inconsistent uptake rates; however, a consistent scenario was established by using a nonlinear estimation to account for uncertainties in the available carbon cycle data. Parametric and sensitivity analyses show that the dynamic constraint and the ocean-atmosphere Carbon 13 budget methods appear to yield smaller errors in estimation of carbon dioxide uptake with respect to uncertainties in carbon cycle data. In the second part of this paper, two simulations of the three calculation methods are reported. The simulations used the three-dimensional Hamburg model of the ocean carbon cycle to determine the extent to which Carbon 13 and bomb radiocarbon may be used to track the fate of anthropogenic carbon dioxide in the ocean. Analysis of the simulation results shows that the Carbon 13 isotope tracks the oceanic penetration of man-made carbon dioxide, while bomb produced radiocarbon does not correlate as well. 52 refs., 9 figs., 3 tabs.
- OSTI ID:
- 244055
- Journal Information:
- Global Biogeochemical Cycles, Vol. 10, Issue 1; Other Information: PBD: Mar 1996
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Steady-state and transient modeling of tracer and nutrient distributions in the global ocean. Progress report, August 1, 1993--July 31, 1994
A Brief Review of the Application of 14C in Terrestrial Carbon Cycle Studies