CO 2 uptake in the Pacific from 1985 to 2018: a comparative assessment of observation-and model-based estimates


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2024-11-09

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As a contribution to the second REgional Carbon Cycle Assessment and Processes effort, we compare net and anthropogenic sea-to-air CO2 fluxes, CO2 accumulation rates in the ocean interior and their trends in the Pacific Ocean by analyzing results from state-of-the-art observation-based estimates and global ocean biogeochemistry models (GOBMs) over the period 1985 – 2018. The ensemble-mean net CO2 fluxes integrated over the Pacific (44ºS – 62ºN) are -0.41 ±0.12 PgC yr-1 from pCO2 products and -0.51 ±0.16 PgC yr-1 from GOBMs. The anthropogenic CO2 flux from GOBMs (-0.71 ±0.10 PgC yr-1) is 1.4 times as large as the net CO2 flux, with particularly large uptake in the equatorial region (-0.34 ±0.03 PgC yr-1) largely offsetting the large natural CO2 outgassing there (+0.72 ±0.06 PgC yr-1). The basin-wide net CO2 uptake has increased at similar mean rates of -0.088 ±0.062 and -0.079 ±0.016 PgC yr-1 decade-1 in pCO2 products and GOBMs, respectively, comparable with the rate of increase in anthropogenic CO2 uptake at -0.102 ±0.013 PgC yr-1 decade-1 in GOBMs. However, a notable mismatch in the trend of the net CO2 flux change that exists between pCO2 products (+0.001 ±0.020 PgC yr-1 decade-1) and GOBMs (-0.040 ±0.013 PgC yr-1 decade-1) in the equatorial region is yet to be resolved. The rate of anthropogenic CO2 accumulation from GOBMs is +0.76 ±0.17 PgC yr-1. This is nearly balanced with the anthropogenic CO2 flux and is also encompassed by the previous observation-based estimates. But a better consistency is still required in the South Pacific

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03731 - Gruber, Nicolas / Gruber, Nicolas check_circle

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175787 - X-EBUS: Extreme Ocean Weather Events and their Role for Ocean Biogeochemistry and Ecosystems in Eastern Boundary Upwelling Systems (SNF)
820989 - Our common future ocean – quantifying coupled cycles of carbon, oxygen, and nutrients for determining and achieving safe operating spaces with respect to tipping points (EC)
821003 - Climate-Carbon Interactions in the Coming Century (EC)

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