Strong Southern Ocean carbon uptake evident in airborne observations

Abstract

The Southern Ocean plays an important role in determining atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂), yet estimates of air-sea CO₂ flux for the region diverge widely. In this study, we constrained Southern Ocean air-sea CO₂ exchange by relating fluxes to horizontal and vertical CO₂ gradients in atmospheric transport models and applying atmospheric observations of these gradients to estimate fluxes. Aircraft-based measurements of the vertical atmospheric CO₂ gradient provide robust flux constraints. We found an annual mean flux of –0.53 ± 0.23 petagrams of carbon per year (net uptake) south of 45°S during the period 2009–2018. This is consistent with the mean of atmospheric inversion estimates and surface-ocean partial pressure of CO₂ (Pco₂)–based products, but our data indicate stronger annual mean uptake than suggested by recent interpretations of profiling float observations.