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Influences of climate change on the uptake and storage of anthropogenic CO2 in the global ocean

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Abstract

A global ocean general circulation model, called LASG/IAP Climate system ocean model (LICOM), is employed to study the influence of climate change on the uptake and storage of anthropogenic CO2 in the global ocean. Two simulations were made: the control run (RUN1) with the climatological daily mean forcing data, and the climate change run (RUN2) with the interannually varying daily mean forcing data from the NCEP (National Centers for Environmental Prediction) of the US. The results show that the simulated distributions and storages of anthropogenic dissolved inorganic carbon (anDIC) from both runs are consistent with the data-based results. Compared with the data-based results, the simulations generate higher anDIC concentrations in the upper layer and lower storage amount of anDIC between the subsurface and 1000-m depth, especially in RUN1. A comparison of the two runs shows that the interannually varying forcing can enhance the transport of main water masses, so the rate of interior transport of anDIC is increased. The higher transfer rate of anDIC in RUN2 decreases its high concentration in the upper layer and increases its storage amount below the subsurface, which leads to closer distributions of anDIC in RUN2 to the data-based results than in RUN1. The higher transfer rate in RUN2 also induces larger exchange flux than in RUN1. It is estimated that the global oceanic anthropogenic CO2 uptake was 1.83 and 2.16 Pg C yr−1 in the two runs in 1995, respectively, and as of 1994, the global ocean contained 99 Pg C in RUN1 and 107 Pg C in RUN2 of anDIC, indicating that the model under the interannually varying forcing could take up 8.1% more anthropogenic carbon than the model under the climatological forcing. These values are within the range of other estimates based on observation and model simulation, while the estimates in RUN1 are near the low bound of other works. It is estimated that the variability of root mean square of the global air-sea anthropogenic carbon flux from the simulated monthly mean results of RUN2 with its seasonal cycle and long-term trend removed is 0.1 Pg C yr−1. The most distinct anomalies appear to be in the tropical Pacific Ocean and the Southern Ocean.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, China

    Yangchun Li  (李阳春) & Yongfu Xu  (徐永福)

  2. National Climate Center, Beijing, 100081, China

    Min Chu  (储 敏)

  3. State Key Laboratory of Numerical Modeling for Atmospheric Sciences and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, China

    Yongqiang Yu  (俞永强)

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  1. Yangchun Li  (李阳春)
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  2. Yongfu Xu  (徐永福)
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  3. Min Chu  (储 敏)
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  4. Yongqiang Yu  (俞永强)
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yongfu Xu  (徐永福).

Additional information

Supported by the National Basic Research and Development (973) Program of China (2010CB951802), China Meteorological Adminstration Special Public Welfare Research Fund (GYHY2008416022), and National Natural Science Foundation of China (40730106).

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Li, Y., Xu, Y., Chu, M. et al. Influences of climate change on the uptake and storage of anthropogenic CO2 in the global ocean. Acta Meteorol Sin 26, 304–317 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13351-012-0304-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13351-012-0304-z

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