FY 1992

Assessment of the air-sea exchange of CO₂ in the South Pacific during austral autumn

Murphy, P.P., R.A. Feely, R.H. Gammon, D.E. Harrison, K.C. Kelly, and L.S. Waterman

J. Geophys. Res., 96(C11), 20,455–20,465, doi: 10.1029/91JC02064 (1991)

Measurements of CO₂ concentrations in the atmosphere and in the surface waters of the South Pacific Ocean were made by NOAA scientists between 1984 and 1989. These basin-wide measurements were all taken during austral autumn and provide data for evaluation of the seasonal flux of CO₂ from this region. The sensitivity of this flux to the uncertainty in the CO₂ gas exchange coefficient was evaluated using four different wind data sets and two formulations for the wind dependence of gas transfer velocity. The integrated net flux of CO₂ to the atmosphere during austral autumn (February to May) ranges from -0.03 (ocean influx) to +0.09 (ocean efflux) GT of carbon depending on the combination of wind field and wind-dependent exchange coefficient used.