Short-term variability of surface carbon dioxide and sea-air CO2 fluxes in the shelf waters of the Galician coastal upwelling system

Authors

  • Alba Marina Cobo-Viveros Instituto de Investigacións Mariñas (IIM-CSIC)
  • Xosé Antonio Padin Instituto de Investigacións Mariñas (IIM-CSIC)
  • Pablo Otero Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO)
  • Mercedes de la Paz Instituto de Investigacións Mariñas (IIM-CSIC)
  • Manuel Ruiz-Villarreal Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO)
  • Aida F. Ríos Instituto de Investigacións Mariñas (IIM-CSIC)
  • Fiz F. Pérez Instituto de Investigacións Mariñas (IIM-CSIC)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3989/scimar.03733.27C

Keywords:

carbon dioxide, coastal upwelling, sea-air gas exchanges, carbon sinks

Abstract


Using data collected during the DYBAGA and ECO cruises, remote sensing chlorophyll-a estimations and the averaged upwelling index of the previous fortnight (Iw’), we studied the variability of the sea surface CO2 fugacity (fCO2) over the Galician continental shelf during three seasonal cycles. Sea surface salinity (SSS) distribution controlled fCO2 mainly in spring, while sea surface temperature (SST) did so during periods of intense cooling in November and warming in June. The uptake of carbon by photosynthetic activity, which was more intense during spring and autumn, masked the surface increase in the dissolved inorganic carbon concentration during upwelling events, especially during spring. A significant low correlation between fCO2 and Iw’ was found during spring and summer when upwelling events were observed, whereas no relationship was observed during the downwelling period. High fCO2 exceeding atmospheric values was only found during the summer stratification breakdown. Although sea-air CO2 fluxes showed a marked inter-annual variability, surface waters off the Galician coast were net sinks for atmospheric CO2 in every seasonal cycle, showing a lower CO2 uptake (~65%) compared to previously published values. Marked inter-annual changes in the sea-air CO2 fluxes seem to be influenced by fresh water inputs on the continental shelf under different meteorological scenarios.

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References

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2013-03-30

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Cobo-Viveros AM, Antonio Padin X, Otero P, de la Paz M, Ruiz-Villarreal M, Ríos AF, Pérez FF. Short-term variability of surface carbon dioxide and sea-air CO2 fluxes in the shelf waters of the Galician coastal upwelling system. Sci. mar. [Internet]. 2013Mar.30 [cited 2024Mar.29];77(S1):37-48. Available from: https://scientiamarina.revistas.csic.es/index.php/scientiamarina/article/view/1421

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