Absorption of the atmospheric CO{sub 2} by oceanic biota near the air-sea interface
- Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute (Russian Federation)
The oceanic phytoplancton productivity may essentially influence the total rate of the atmospheric CO{sub 2} absorption by the ocean - that is, a considerable amount of CO{sub 2} will be taken-up in the 50 micrometers thick layer near the air-sea interface. Even if phytoplancton production constitutes only 5% of the total oceanic biota production, this will increase the rate of CO{sub 2} absorption more than twice compared with the present estimates. The reason is that metabolic activity of phytoplancton leads to the emergence in a thin scin (50 micrometers, the average size of phytoplancton cells) layer near the water surface of an additional minimum in the CO{sub 2} partial pressure profile and of an additional maximum of {Delta} {sup 13}C in the same area. These two extremums cannot be detected if the corresponding characteristics are averaged over any microscopic area in the well mixing layer that is more than 1 meter deep, which is usually the case when the oceanic concentrations of CO{sub 2} are measured. This effect may account for the observed contradiction between the existing estimates of the rate of CO{sub 2} absorption, that are based either on measuring gradient of the concentrations of the dissolved organic and inorganic carbon or on measuring of the physical flux of CO{sub 2} through the air-sea interface.
- OSTI ID:
- 577189
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-970522-; TRN: 98:000898-0020
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 8. global warming international conference and expo, New York, NY (United States), 25-28 May 1997; Other Information: PBD: 1997; Related Information: Is Part Of 8th Global warming international conference and exposition; PB: 156 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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