Global Effects of Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies on Carbon Dioxide Exchange across the Atmosphere-Ocean Interface, 1996-2009

摘要

The first objective for this study was the creation of a model to estimate carbon dioxide movement between the ocean and the atmosphere. The model was successfully created and produced results comparable with those from previous studies. Estimates described in the methodology section indicate the equatorial Pacific would exhibit a monthly carbon flux anomaly close to 6~*10~(12) moles if the SST anomaly for the region was 2℃ At the height of the 1997-1998 El Nino, the corresponding SST anomaly was roughly 2℃ and results from the model indicated the monthly carbon flux anomaly was 13~*10~(12) moles. While this result is of the same order of magnitude as the estimation, the difference is not minor. Possible contributions to the difference include variations in the variables held constant for the estimation, as well as the fact that the comparison is imprecise due to slight differences in input DIC concentration introduced by previous model calculations. For the entire globe, estimates from the methodology section indicate a monthly carbon flux anomaly of 10~(13) moles corresponding to a global SST anomaly of 0.2℃ At the height of the 1997-1998 El Nino, the global SST was slightly greater than 0.2℃ and the corresponding monthly carbon flux anomaly was 7~*10~(12) moles. The same factors contributing to the equatorial Pacific differential were also likely responsible for the global differential. The final prediction from the methodology section was that the long term effects of short term SST anomalies would be negligible. The model results confirmed this hypothesis; less than 1% difference in total oceanic carbon dioxide absorption between the model runs was present at their conclusion.