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Anthropogenic carbon distribution in the Ross Sea, Antarctica

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 June 2007

S. Sandrini ,
N. Ait-Ameur ,
P. Rivaro ,
S. Massolo ,
F. Touratier ,
L. Tositti  and
C. Goyet
S. Sandrini*
Affiliation:
University of Bologna, Department of Chemistry “G. Ciamician”, via Selmi, 2, 40126 Bologna, Italy
N. Ait-Ameur
Affiliation:
LBDSI-University of Perpignan, 52 Avenue Paul Alduy, Perpignan, France
P. Rivaro
Affiliation:
University of Genoa, Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, via Dodecaneso, 31, 16146 Genoa, Italy
S. Massolo
Affiliation:
University of Genoa, Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, via Dodecaneso, 31, 16146 Genoa, Italy
F. Touratier
Affiliation:
LBDSI-University of Perpignan, 52 Avenue Paul Alduy, Perpignan, France
L. Tositti
Affiliation:
University of Bologna, Department of Chemistry “G. Ciamician”, via Selmi, 2, 40126 Bologna, Italy
C. Goyet
Affiliation:
LBDSI-University of Perpignan, 52 Avenue Paul Alduy, Perpignan, France
*
*silvia.sandrini@unibo.it, silvia.sandrini@sacmi.it
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Abstract

The Ross Sea is an area of dense water formation within the Southern Ocean, hence it potentially plays an important role for anthropogenic CO2 sequestration. In order to estimate the penetration of anthropogenic carbon in the Ross Sea from total inorganic carbon (TCO2) measurements carried out in 2002–03 Antarctic Italian Expedition, we applied two independent models. Anthropogenic carbon was present throughout the water column. The highest concentrations were associated with the recently ventilated shelf waters, namely High Salinity Shelf Water (HSSW) and Ice Shelf Water (ISW), due to their recent contact with the atmosphere. The lowest concentrations were observed for Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW), due to its relatively older ventilation age. This water mass intrudes onto the shelf in some parts of the Ross Sea and hence is observed in the sampled section, where it is recognizable for its low O2 and high TCO2 concentrations. The overflow of the dense High Salinity Shelf Water out of the continental slope was observed in the area off Cape Adare. Since this recently formed shelf water contributes to the formation of the Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW), this process represents a pathway for anthropogenic carbon export down to the deep ocean.

Keywords

atmospheric CO2 sequestrationchemical tracersmixingTCO2water mass
Type
Physical Sciences
Information
Antarctic Science , Volume 19 , Issue 3 , September 2007 , pp. 395 - 407
Copyright
Copyright © Antarctic Science Ltd 2007

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