Emissions from the Oceans to the Atmosphere, Deposition from the Atmosphere to the Oceans and the Interactions Between Them

Abstract

The atmosphere and the oceans are intimately linked in a complex web of physical and chemical cycles that play an important role in regulating the biogeochemistry and climatology of Planet Earth. In this short paper, I will show first that atmospheric inputs are a major route by which some key nutrients for phytoplankton growth reach the ocean, and second that exchanges of a variety of gases and sea salt itself between the ocean and the atmosphere are of major importance in regulating climate and the properties of the atmosphere. These exchanges are regulated by biological and physical processes that are themselves sensitive to the inputs of nutrients, and to changes in physical forcing arising from climate change. We are beginning to understand the nature and regulation of some of these air-sea exchange processes, but the challenge for the next decade is to try to quantitatively understand the interactions and feedbacks between these systems. Only then can these processes be incorporated into Earth System models and contribute to improved predictions of global change.