Anthropogenic carbon distributions in the Atlantic Ocean: data-based estimates from the Arctic to the Antarctic

Abstract

Five of the most recent observational methods to estimate anthropogenic CO₂ (C_ant) are applied to a high-quality dataset from five representative sections of the Atlantic Ocean extending from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Between latitudes 60° N–40° S all methods give similar spatial distributions and magnitude of C_ant. However, discrepancies are found in some regions, in particular in the Southern Ocean and Nordic Seas. The differences in the Southern Ocean have a significant impact on the anthropogenic carbon inventories. The calculated total inventories of C_ant for the Atlantic referred to 1994 vary from 48 to 67 Pg (10¹⁵ g) of carbon, with an average of 54±8 Pg C, which is higher than previous estimates. These results, both the detailed C_ant distributions and extrapolated inventories, will help to evaluate biogeochemical ocean models and coupled climate-carbon models.