scholarly journals Satellite observations reveal high variability and a decreasing trend in CO<sub>2</sub> fluxes on the Scotian Shelf

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 5269-5304
Author(s):  
E. H. Shadwick ◽  
H. Thomas ◽  
A. Comeau ◽  
S. E. Craig ◽  
C. W. Hunt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Surface Waters ◽  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
Co2 Flux ◽  
Resolution Time ◽  
Scotian Shelf ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic Oscillation ◽  
Shelf Region ◽  
Annual Scale

Abstract. We develop an algorithm to compute pCO2 in the Scotian Shelf region (NW Atlantic) from satellite-based estimates of chlorophyll-a concentration, sea-surface temperature, and observed wind speed. This algorithm is based on a high-resolution time-series of pCO2 observations from an autonomous mooring. At the mooring location (44.3° N and 63.3° W), the surface waters act as a source of CO2 to the atmosphere over the annual scale, with an outgassing of −1.1 mol C m−2 yr−1 in 2007/2008. A hindcast of air-sea CO2 fluxes from 1999 to 2008 reveals significant variability both spatially and from year to year. Over the decade, the shelf-wide annual air-sea fluxes range from an outgassing of −1.7 mol C m−2 yr−1 in 2002, to −0.02 mol C m−2 yr−1 in 2006. There is a gradient in the air-sea CO2 flux between the northeastern Cabot Strait region which acts as a net sink of CO2 with an annual uptake of 0.5 to 1.0 mol C m−2 yr−1, and the southwestern Gulf of Maine region which acts as a source ranging from −0.8 to −2.5 mol C m−2 yr−1. There is a decline, or a negative trend, in the air-sea pCO2 gradient of 23 μatm over the decade, which can be explained by a cooling of 1.3 °C over the same period. Regional conditions govern spatial, seasonal, and interannual variability on the Scotian Shelf, while multi-annual trends appear linked to the North Atlantic Oscillation.

scholarly journals Air-Sea CO<sub>2</sub> fluxes on the Scotian Shelf: seasonal to multi-annual variability

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (11) ◽  
pp. 3851-3867 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. H. Shadwick ◽  
H. Thomas ◽  
A. Comeau ◽  
S. E. Craig ◽  
C. W. Hunt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Surface Waters ◽  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
Co2 Flux ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Co2 Fluxes ◽  
Resolution Time ◽  
Scotian Shelf ◽  
Shelf Region ◽  
Annual Scale

Abstract. We develop an algorithm to compute pCO2 in the Scotian Shelf region (NW Atlantic) from satellite-based estimates of chlorophyll-a concentration, sea-surface temperature, and observed wind speed. This algorithm is based on a high-resolution time-series of pCO2 observations from an autonomous mooring. At the mooring location (44.3° N and 63.3° W), the surface waters act as a source of CO2 to the atmosphere over the annual scale, with an outgassing of −1.1 mol C m−2 yr−1 in 2007/2008. A hindcast of air-sea CO2 fluxes from 1999 to 2008 reveals significant variability both spatially and from year to year. Over the decade, the shelf-wide annual air-sea fluxes range from an outgassing of −1.70 mol C m−2 yr−1 in 2002, to −0.02 mol C m−2 yr−1 in 2006. There is a gradient in the air-sea CO2 flux between the northeastern Cabot Strait region which acts as a net sink of CO2 with an annual uptake of 0.50 to 1.00 mol C m−2 yr−1, and the southwestern Gulf of Maine region which acts as a source ranging from −0.80 to −2.50 mol C m−2 yr−1. There is a decline, or a negative trend, in the air-sea pCO2 gradient of 23 μatm over the decade, which can be explained by a cooling of 1.3 °C over the same period. Regional conditions govern spatial, seasonal, and interannual variability on the Scotian Shelf, while multi-annual trends appear to be influenced by larger scale processes.

scholarly journals Interaction between the Tidal and Seasonal Variability of the Gulf of Maine and Scotian Shelf Region

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (11) ◽  
pp. 3279-3298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Katavouta ◽  
Keith R. Thompson ◽  
Youyu Lu ◽  
John W. Loder
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Surface Current ◽  
Maximum Speed ◽  
Georges Bank ◽  
Scotian Shelf ◽  
Linear Superposition ◽  
Dynamical Interaction ◽  
The North ◽  
Shelf Region

AbstractAs part of a broader study of ocean downscaling, the seasonal and tidal variability of the Gulf of Maine and Scotian shelf, and their dynamical interaction, are investigated using a high-resolution (1/36°) circulation model. The model’s seasonal hydrography and circulation, and its tidal elevations and currents, are compared with an observed seasonal climatology, local observations, and results from previous studies. Numerical experiments with and without density stratification demonstrate the influence of stratification on the tides. The model is then used to interpret the physical mechanisms responsible for the largest seasonal variations in the M2 surface current that occur over, and to the north of, Georges Bank. The model generates a striation pattern of alternating highs and lows, aligned with Georges Bank, in the M2 surface summer maximum speed in the Gulf of Maine. The striations are consistent with observations by a high-frequency coastal radar system and can be explained in terms of a linear superposition of the barotropic tide and the first-mode baroclinic tide, generated on the north side of Georges Bank, as it propagates into the Gulf of Maine. The seasonal changes in tidal currents in the well-mixed area on Georges Bank are due to a combination of increased sea level gradients, and lower vertical viscosity, in summer.

scholarly journals Water masses and nutrient sources to the Gulf of Maine

2015 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 93-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
David W. Townsend ◽  
Neal R. Pettigrew ◽  
Maura A. Thomas ◽  
Mark G. Neary ◽  
Dennis J. McGillicuddy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Continental Shelf ◽  
Deep Water ◽  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
Volume Transport ◽  
Water Masses ◽  
Scotian Shelf ◽  
Nutrient Sources ◽  
The North ◽  
Freshwater Fluxes ◽  
The North Atlantic Oscillation

The Gulf of Maine, a semienclosed basin on the continental shelf of the northwest Atlantic Ocean, is fed by surface and deep water flows from outside the gulf: Scotian Shelf Water (SSW) from the Nova Scotian shelf that enters the gulf at the surface and slope water that enters at depth and along the bottom through the Northeast Channel. There are two distinct types of slope water, Labrador Slope Water (LSW) and Warm Slope Water (WSW); it is these deep water masses that are the major source of dissolved inorganic nutrients to the gulf. It has been known for some time that the volume inflow of slope waters of either type to the Gulf of Maine is variable, that it covaries with the magnitude of inflowing SSW, and that periods of greater inflows of SSW have become more frequent in recent years, accompanied by reduced slope water inflows. We present here analyses of a 10-year record of data collected by moored sensors in Jordan Basin in the interior Gulf of Maine, and in the Northeast Channel, along with recent and historical hydrographic and nutrient data that help reveal the nature of SSW and slope water inflows. We show that proportional inflows of nutrient-rich slope waters and nutrient-poor SSWs alternate episodically with one another on timescales of months to several years, creating a variable nutrient field on which the biological productivities of the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank depend. Unlike decades past, more recent inflows of slope waters of either type do not appear to be correlated with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), which had been shown earlier to influence the relative proportions of the two types of slope waters that enter the gulf, WSW and LSW. We suggest that of greater importance than the NAO in recent years are recent increases in freshwater fluxes to the Labrador Sea, which may intensify the volume transport of the inshore, continental shelf limb of the Labrador Current and its continuation as the Nova Scotia Current. The result is more frequent, episodic influxes of colder, fresher, less dense, and low-nutrient SSW into the Gulf of Maine and concomitant reductions in the inflow of deep, nutrient-rich slope waters. We also discuss evidence that modified Gulf Stream ring water may have penetrated to Jordan Basin in the summer of 2013.

scholarly journals An assessment of the Atlantic and Arctic sea–air CO<sub>2</sub> fluxes, 1990–2009

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 607-627 ◽  
Author(s):  
U. Schuster ◽  
G. A. McKinley ◽  
N. Bates ◽  
F. Chevallier ◽  
S. C. Doney ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Interannual Variability ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Seasonal Cycle ◽  
Co2 Flux ◽  
Equatorial Region ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
The North ◽  
Biogeochemical Models ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
The North Atlantic Oscillation

Abstract. The Atlantic and Arctic Oceans are critical components of the global carbon cycle. Here we quantify the net sea–air CO2 flux, for the first time, across different methodologies for consistent time and space scales for the Atlantic and Arctic basins. We present the long-term mean, seasonal cycle, interannual variability and trends in sea–air CO2 flux for the period 1990 to 2009, and assign an uncertainty to each. We use regional cuts from global observations and modeling products, specifically a pCO2-based CO2 flux climatology, flux estimates from the inversion of oceanic and atmospheric data, and results from six ocean biogeochemical models. Additionally, we use basin-wide flux estimates from surface ocean pCO2 observations based on two distinct methodologies. Our estimate of the contemporary sea–air flux of CO2 (sum of anthropogenic and natural components) by the Atlantic between 40° S and 79° N is −0.49 ± 0.05 Pg C yr−1, and by the Arctic it is −0.12 ± 0.06 Pg C yr−1, leading to a combined sea–air flux of −0.61 ± 0.06 Pg C yr−1 for the two decades (negative reflects ocean uptake). We do find broad agreement amongst methodologies with respect to the seasonal cycle in the subtropics of both hemispheres, but not elsewhere. Agreement with respect to detailed signals of interannual variability is poor, and correlations to the North Atlantic Oscillation are weaker in the North Atlantic and Arctic than in the equatorial region and southern subtropics. Linear trends for 1995 to 2009 indicate increased uptake and generally correspond between methodologies in the North Atlantic, but there is disagreement amongst methodologies in the equatorial region and southern subtropics.

scholarly journals Atlantic and Arctic sea-air CO<sub>2</sub> fluxes, 1990–2009

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 10669-10724 ◽  
Author(s):  
U. Schuster ◽  
G. A. McKinley ◽  
N. Bates ◽  
F. Chevallier ◽  
S. C. Doney ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Interannual Variability ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Seasonal Cycle ◽  
Co2 Flux ◽  
Equatorial Region ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
The North ◽  
Biogeochemical Models ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
The North Atlantic Oscillation

Abstract. The Atlantic and Arctic oceans are critical components of the global carbon cycle. Here we quantify the net sea-air CO2 flux, for the first time, across different methodologies for consistent time and space scales, for the Atlantic and Arctic basins. We present the long-term mean, seasonal cycle, interannual variability and trends in sea-air CO2 flux for the period 1990 to 2009, and assign an uncertainty to each. We use regional cuts from global observations and modelling products, specifically a pCO2-based CO2 flux climatology, flux estimates from the inversion of oceanic and atmospheric data, and results from six ocean biogeochemical models. Additionally, we use basin-wide flux estimates from surface ocean pCO2 observations based on two distinct methodologies. Our best estimate of the contemporary sea-to-air flux of CO2 (sum of anthropogenic and natural components) by the Atlantic between 40° S and 79° N is −0.49 ± 0.11 Pg C yr−1 and by the Arctic is −0.12 ± 0.06 Pg C yr−1, leading to a combined sea-to-air flux of −0.61 ± 0.12 Pg C yr−1 for the two decades (negative reflects ocean uptake). We do find broad agreement amongst methodologies with respect to the seasonal cycle in the subtropics of both hemispheres, but not elsewhere. Agreement with respect to detailed signals of interannual variability is poor; and correlations to the North Atlantic Oscillation are weaker in the North Atlantic and Arctic than in the equatorial region and South Subtropics. Linear trends for 1995 to 2009 indicate increased uptake and generally correspond between methodologies in the North Atlantic, but there is disagreement amongst methodologies in the equatorial region and South Subtropics.

scholarly journals Ocean Regime Shift is Driving Collapse of the North Atlantic Right Whale Population

Oceanography ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 22-31
Author(s):  
Erin Meyer-Gutbrod ◽  
◽  
Charles Greene ◽  
Kimberley Davies ◽  
David Johns
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Regime Shift ◽  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
Scotian Shelf ◽  
North Atlantic Right Whale ◽  
Right Whale ◽  
The North ◽  
Right Whales ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
Foraging Environment

Ocean warming linked to anthropogenic climate change is impacting the ecology of marine species around the world. In 2010, the Gulf of Maine and Scotian Shelf regions of the Northwest Atlantic underwent an unprecedented regime shift. Forced by climate-driven changes in the Gulf Stream, warm slope waters entered the region and created a less favorable foraging environment for the endangered North Atlantic right whale population. By mid-decade, right whales had shifted their late spring/summer foraging grounds from the Gulf of Maine and the western Scotian Shelf to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The population also began exhibiting unusually high mortality in 2017. Here, we report that climate-driven changes in ocean circulation have altered the foraging environment and habitat use of right whales, reducing the population’s calving rate and exposing it to greater mortality risks from ship strikes and fishing gear entanglement. The case of the North Atlantic right whale provides a cautionary tale for the management of protected species in a changing ocean.

scholarly journals Influence of the North Atlantic oscillation on the atmospheric levels of benzo[a]pyrene over Europe

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Jiménez-Guerrero ◽  
Nuno Ratola
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Pattern ◽  
North Atlantic Oscillation ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
The South ◽  
Climatic Fluctuations ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
The North Atlantic Oscillation

AbstractThe atmospheric concentration of persistent organic pollutants (and of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, PAHs, in particular) is closely related to climate change and climatic fluctuations, which are likely to influence contaminant’s transport pathways and transfer processes. Predicting how climate variability alters PAHs concentrations in the atmosphere still poses an exceptional challenge. In this sense, the main objective of this contribution is to assess the relationship between the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index and the mean concentration of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP, the most studied PAH congener) in a domain covering Europe, with an emphasis on the effect of regional-scale processes. A numerical simulation for a present climate period of 30 years was performed using a regional chemistry transport model with a 25 km spatial resolution (horizontal), higher than those commonly applied. The results show an important seasonal behaviour, with a remarkable spatial pattern of difference between the north and the south of the domain. In winter, higher BaP ground levels are found during the NAO+ phase for the Mediterranean basin, while the spatial pattern of this feature (higher BaP levels during NAO+ phases) moves northwards in summer. These results show deviations up to and sometimes over 100% in the BaP mean concentrations, but statistically significant signals (p<0.1) of lower changes (20–40% variations in the signal) are found for the north of the domain in winter and for the south in summer.

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