Abstract
The dissolution of calcium carbonate in deep ocean water causes variation in calcium concentration (ΔCa) and alkalinity (ΔTA) in the ratio of one to two. The decomposition of organic matter generates nitric acid, phosphoric acid and sulfuric acid. A proton flux which is derived from this process also changes alkalinity. Using the variation in nitrate concentration (ΔNO3) as an index of the proton flux, the relationship betweenΔCa,ΔTA andΔNO3 is expressed asΔCa=0.5ΔTA+0.63ΔNO3 The values of ΔCa obtained from direct measurements in the North Pacific are in good agreement with the values estimated from this equation.
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Kanamori, S., Ikegami, H. Calcium-alkalinity relationship in the North Pacific. Journal of the Oceanographical Society of Japan 38, 57–62 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02110291
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02110291