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2002
Aug. 2002: Gas in water

Gas in the water

Image of the month - August 2002

CO2 transfer velocity between the atmosphere and ocean for February (top) and September (below) (temperature-related effects have been removed). Absorption of CO2 by the ocean is faster in winter (Northern or Southern). (Credits WHOI).

One of the major unknowns in modeling climate variations is the estimated CO₂ content in the atmosphere and absorption of CO₂ by the ocean. Here again, satellite altimetry can help. This time it is not measurements of actual sea surface height that interest us, but what the received radar signal can tell us about surface reflectivity. CO₂ absorption increases with sea surface roughness. A rough sea surface also causes reflected radar waves to scatter more, meaning that the return signal received by the altimeter is weaker.
Sea surface conditions depend on wind and on many other factors, such as the presence of a surfactant film. CO₂ absorption varies seasonally.

CO₂ velocity transfer varies with latitude (a). It is very low at the Equator, slightly higher in the Tropics, and higher at latitudes above 30° in the Southern Hemisphere than in the Northern Hemisphere (where there are more continental land masses).
It also varies from one year to another (b).
(Credits WHOI)

Websites on this subject:

Gas Transfer Velocity from Normalized Radar Backscatter
JGofs Programme (Joint Global Ocean Flux Study)

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