National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration
United States Department of Commerce


 

FY 2012

Changes in South Pacific anthropogenic carbon

Waters, J.F., F.J. Millero, and C.L. Sabine

Global Biogeochem. Cycles, 25(4), GB4011, doi: 10.1029/2010GB003988 (2011)


The changes in anthropogenic CO2 are evaluated in the South Pacific, along the meridional line P18 (110°W) and the zonal line P06 (32°S), using the extended multiple linear regression (eMLR) method. The structure of the column inventory of anthropogenic CO2 on P18 is similar to the southern section of P16 [Sabine et al., 2008] in the central South Pacific (150°W), but the overall increase is greater by approximately 5-10 µmol kg-1. The value of the anthropogenic CO2 inventory on P18 is in agreement at the crossover point of an earlier evaluation of P06 [Murata et al., 2008]. Subsequent changes in pH are also evaluated. The changes in pH is determined from the changes in anthropogenic CO2 and do not reflect variability in other decadal signals. For both cruise tracks, the average annual change in pH is -0.0016 mol kg-1 yr-1. This value is in good agreement with the average decrease in pH in the North Pacific [Byrne et al., 2010], at the Hawaii Times Series and the subtropical North Atlantic [Gonzalez-Davila et al., 2007]. There is evidence for greater uptake of anthropogenic CO2 in the western South Pacific due to the formation and subduction of Subtropical Mode Water.



Feature Publications | Outstanding Scientific Publications

Contact Sandra Bigley |