Sea Ice Suppression of CO2 Outgassing in the West Antarctic Peninsula: Implications For The Evolving Southern Ocean Carbon Sink

Authors

E.H. Shadwick
O.A. De Meo, Virginia Institute of Marine Science
S. Schroeter
M.C. Arroyo, Virginia Institute of Marine Science
D.G. Martinson
H. Ducklow

Document Type

Article

Department/Program

Virginia Institute of Marine Science

Publication Date

2021

Journal

Geophysical Research Letters

Volume

48

Issue

11

First Page

e2020GL091835

Abstract

The Southern Ocean plays an important role in the uptake of atmospheric CO₂. In seasonally ice-covered regions, estimates of air-sea exchange remain uncertain in part because of a lack of observations outside the summer season. Here we present new estimates of air-sea CO₂ flux in the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) from an autonomous mooring on the continental shelf. In summer, the WAP is a sink for atmospheric CO₂ followed by a slow return to atmospheric equilibrium in autumn and winter. Outgassing is almost entirely suppressed by ice cover from June through October, resulting in a modest net annual CO₂ sink. Model projections indicate sea ice formation will occur later in the season in the coming decades potentially weakening the net oceanic CO₂ sink. Interannual variability in the WAP is significant, highlighting the importance of sustained observations of air-sea exchange in this rapidly changing region of the Southern Ocean.

DOI

doi: 10.1029/2020GL091835

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Shadwick, E.H.; De Meo, O.A.; Schroeter, S.; Arroyo, M.C.; Martinson, D.G.; and Ducklow, H., Sea Ice Suppression of CO2 Outgassing in the West Antarctic Peninsula: Implications For The Evolving Southern Ocean Carbon Sink (2021). Geophysical Research Letters, 48(11), e2020GL091835.

doi: 10.1029/2020GL091835