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Analytical Quantification of Carbon Dioxide Exchange Mediated by Spume Droplets

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Abstract

The role of spume droplets in the air–sea exchange of \(\hbox {CO}_2\) is investigated by applying simultaneous rate equations for the mass of dissolved \(\hbox {CO}_2\), radius, and temperature of a droplet. The life of a droplet can be divided into two phases, except when the air is saturated, and when the air and sea temperatures are the same. In the first phase, the \(\hbox {CO}_2\) fluxes at the droplet surface and at the air–sea interface are in the same direction. In the second phase, the air–droplet \(\hbox {CO}_2\) gradient vanishes, and the droplet loses water and \(\hbox {CO}_2\) as long as there is evaporation. The largest sea–air \(\hbox {CO}_2\) transfer by the droplets is in the case where the sea temperature is greater than the air temperature, and the air–sea \(\hbox {CO}_2\) concentration gradient is towards the air. The net transfer of \(\hbox {CO}_2\) for a droplet depends on its lifetime, which is longer for smaller droplets. The overall role of a droplet spectrum is assessed assuming a sea-spray generation function for radii from 30 to 500 \(\upmu \)m, whose formulation of its dependence on the surface-wave peak period and 10-m wind speed is currently accepted; for situations with an air–sea \(\hbox {CO}_2\) concentration gradient towards the air and a warmer sea than the air, the overall transfer obtained is towards the sea. The effect of the turbulence is analyzed by increasing the droplet lifetime by a factor of 10, which increases the \(\hbox {CO}_2\) flux towards the sea for droplet spectra composed mainly of small droplets (generated by waves with small peak period). However, the mean droplet size is larger for droplets generated by waves with a high peak period, and then the flux is towards the air because many large droplets reach the second phase.

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Acknowledgements

In memory of Dr. Edgar L Andreas for his dedication to understanding the role of droplets at the air–sea interface—without his enlightenment we would never have visited this field. We are grateful for the comments and suggestions from anonymous reviewers. The constructive criticism of Dr. David Richter led to the inclusion of clarifying discussions and improvements in the material presented. We would like to thank Dr. Peter Caplan for his comments and suggestions for improving the English version of this manuscript. This research was supported by Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo, FAPESP, Grants 2008/58595-1 and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, CNPq, Grants 158985/20 and 429402/2016-3.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, São Mateus, Brazil

    Iury Angelo Gonçalves

  2. Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais, São José dos Campos, Brazil

    Valdir Innocentini

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  1. Iury Angelo Gonçalves
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  2. Valdir Innocentini
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Correspondence to Iury Angelo Gonçalves.

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Gonçalves, I.A., Innocentini, V. Analytical Quantification of Carbon Dioxide Exchange Mediated by Spume Droplets. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 169, 327–345 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-018-0369-z

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