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On the temperature coefficient of PCO 2 in seawater

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Abstract

The commonly reported temperature coefficient of P. the equilibrium partial pressure of CO2, is (∂P/∂T) A,C ,which is about 15 ppm/°C, or 5% of the atmospheric partial pressure of CO2. This coefficient, however, applies only to deep water, not to surface water which can exchange CO2 with the atmosphere. The coefficient (∂P/∂T) A,C ,, where σ designates constancy of the sum of atmospheric and surface-ocean CO2, is the appropriate value for air-sea exchange. Numerical values are mass-dependent because the depth of the exchanging ocean layer must be specified. For a 100-m surface layer, the value is ca. 1.5 ppm/°C, or 0.5% of ambient CO2.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, 02881, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA

    Ferren MacIntyre

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  1. Ferren MacIntyre
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Editor's Note:In view of the interdisciplinary importance of the carbon dioxide-climate problem, this note on seawater chemistry should be of interest to specialists beyond the discipline of ocean chemistry.

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MacIntyre, F. On the temperature coefficient of PCO 2 in seawater. Climatic Change 1, 349–354 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00135155

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00135155

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