Temporal variability of atmospheric CO2 of the Spanish Atlantic Coast

Citation
Ff. Perez et al., Temporal variability of atmospheric CO2 of the Spanish Atlantic Coast, OCEANOL ACT, 24(1), 2001, pp. 11-18
Citations number
34
Categorie Soggetti
Aquatic Sciences
Journal title
OCEANOLOGICA ACTA
ISSN journal
03991784 → ACNP
Volume
24
Issue
1
Year of publication
2001
Pages
11 - 18
Database
ISI
SICI code
0399-1784(2001)24:1<11:TVOACO>2.0.ZU;2-R
Abstract
The variability of the molar fraction of atmospheric CO2 (xCO(2)(a)) and wi nd speed and direction were investigated in a coastal embayment located in the west European coast, ria de Vigo, NW Spain, along daily and seasonal ti me scales. Observations in the ria showed that xCO(2)(a) on a short time sc ale presented a much wider variability than seawater molar fraction (xCO(2) (w)), in addition, a significant covariation between xCO(2)(a) and wind was found. A sluggish atmospheric renewal due to weak winds was associated wit h high values of xCO(2)(a), whereas higher oceanic winds renovate the air c olumn with more stable and constrained xCO(2)(a) values (from 350 to 370 pp m). The impact of anomalously high xCO(2)(a) on CO2 air-sea fluxes is pract ically not significant, due to the kinetic control exerted by wind speed by means of the gas exchange coefficient. A seasonal cycle for the atmospheri c molar fraction of CO2 in the Southwest European Coast was obtained. Using this approach for xCO(2)(a) in calculating the air-sea CO2 fluxes avoids u nder/overestimations of the fluxes on particular short periods of time, whi lst using a mean xCO(2)(a) seasonal value for longer time scales has no sig nificant effect on the final net magnitude of the air-sea flux. (C) 2001 If remer/CNRS/IRD/Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS.