Storms drive outgassing of CO2 in the subpolar Southern Ocean
- Journal:
- Nature Communications
- Published:
- DOI:
- 10.1038/s41467-021-27780-w
- Affiliations:
- 8
- Authors:
- 8
Research Highlight
Stormy seas drive outgassing of carbon dioxide
© Mike Hill/Stone/Getty Images
Storms raging above the subpolar Southern Ocean liberate carbon dioxide from the ocean into the atmosphere.
The Southern Ocean plays a critical role in the global exchange of carbon dioxide between the atmosphere and the oceans: it accounts for nearly half the annual uptake of man-made carbon dioxide into the oceans, and it also expels natural carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
The amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere varies considerably, and it wasn’t known how much storms contribute to this variability.
Now, by obtaining high-resolution data using drones and ocean gliders, a team led by researchers from the University of Cape Town in South Africa has uncovered two processes that explain the storm-driven variability.
This information will help improve models of the effect of the Southern Ocean on the global carbon budget.
References
- Nature Communications 13, 158 (2022). doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-27780-w