Controls on the Boundary Between Thermally and Non-Thermally Driven pCO2 Regimes in the South Pacific

Regional and temporal patterns of air-sea carbon exchange are strongly linked to the surface ocean partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO(2)), which varies with sea surface temperature (SST), salinity, dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), and alkalinity. It is well-known that temperature controls the pCO(2) seasonal cycle in the subtropics, whereas DIC dominates at high latitudes. The balance of mechanisms governing the boundary between these regimes, however, are not well characterized due to lack of year-round pCO(2) data. Here, we use autonomous biogeochemical float measurements from the South Pacific to investigate the processes that control meridional variations in pCO(2) seasonality. We find that the transition between pCO(2) regimes is linked to the poleward decrease in SST seasonal cycle amplitude, which is closely associated with the northern boundary of deep winter mixed layers. Processes that determine the annual SST range are, therefore, central to the response of oceanic carbon uptake to anthropogenic forcing.

Automated summary

Regional and temporal patterns of air-sea carbon exchange are influenced by surface ocean conditions including pCO2, SST, salinity, DIC and alkalinity. A study in the South Pacific found that the transition between pCO2 regimes is linked to the decrease in SST seasonal cycle amplitude.