Why are Surface Ocean pH and CaCO3 Saturation State Often out of Phase in Spatial Patterns and Seasonal Cycles?

As two most important metrics for ocean acidification (OA), both pH and calcium carbonate mineral saturation states (omega) respond sensitively to anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2). However, contrary to intuition, they are often out of phase in the global surface ocean, both spatially and seasonally. For example, during warm seasons, omega is lowest at high-latitude seas where there are very high pH values, challenging our understanding that high-latitude seas are a bellwether for global OA. To explain this phenomenon, we separate spatial and seasonal variations of both pH and omega into thermal components mainly associated with internal acid-base equilibrium of seawater CO2 systems, and nonthermal components mainly associated with external CO2 addition/removal using a global surface ocean climatological data set. We find that surface pH change is controlled by the balance between its thermal and nonthermal components, which are out of phase but comparable in magnitude. In contrast, surface omega change is dominated by its nonthermal components, with its thermal components in phase and significantly smaller in magnitude. These findings explain why surface ocean pH and omega are often out of phase in spatial patterns and seasonal cycles. When pH is primarily controlled by nonthermal components e.g., gas exchange, mixing and biology, pH and omega will be in phase because their nonthermal components are intrinsically in phase. In comparison, when pH is primarily controlled by thermal components for example, rapid seasonal cooling or warming, pH and omega will be out of phase because thermal and nonthermal components of pH are out-of-phase in nature.

Automated summary

The pH and omega values in the surface ocean are often out of phase spatially and seasonally. The pH change is controlled by both thermal and nonthermal components, while the omega change is mainly dominated by nonthermal components. This explains why the surface ocean pH and omega values are often out of phase in spatial patterns and seasonal cycles.