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The Arctic Ocean: Physical Processes and their Effects on Climate and the Ecosystem
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Multi-decadal Trends in Arctic Ocean Carbon Chemistry
Wednesday 9th @ 1050-1110, Conference Room 5
Ryan Woosley* , Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Frank Millero, University of Miami, RSMAS
Presenter Email: rwoosley@mit.edu |
| Perhaps nowhere is climate change more evident than the Arctic Ocean. Temperatures, ice melt, runoff from land, and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) are all increasing dramatically. In addition, the perturbations to the carbon cycle in the Arctic are unique when compared to the other oceans. While the decreasing pH and increasing DIC elsewhere are dominated by the uptake of anthropogenic carbon from the atmosphere, the Arctic is more complicated. There, DIC is modified not only by anthropogenic CO2 uptake, but also by increased freshwater inputs and reduced buffering capacity. Utilizing data collected from three repeat cruises covering 1994-2015, multi-decadal trends in the Arctic DIC pool are explored. The sources of these trends are identified as atmospheric CO2 uptake and inputs of freshwater from melting sea ice and glacial runoff. A higher influx of freshwater has lowered the total alkalinity (TA) significantly, altering Arctic carbon chemistry beyond just atmospheric CO2 uptake. The decreased TA lowers the buffering capacity of seawater, amplifying ocean acidification and decreases in CaCO3 saturation state. The effects of further decreased pH has widespread implications for marine organisms. |
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