Seasonal Variability of Carbon Chemistry at the SEATS Time-Series Site, Northern South China Sea between 2002 and 2003

Analyses of total carbon dioxide (TCO2) and titration alkalinity (TA) in the mixed-layer was performed approximately bimonthly at the SEATS time series site (18°15'N, 115°35'E) in the northern South China Sea (SCS) from March 2002 to April 2003. These measurements and the calculated-f CO2 were then used to document their seasonal variations and to estimate the seasonal air-sea flux of CO2 during the observed period at the site. Results show that the normalized TCO2 (NTCO2=TCO2 x 35/S) fluctuates seasonally between ～1972 and ～1997 μmol kg^(-1), with the highest value in winter. The decline of NTCO2 in spring-summer mainly results from in situ biological utilization, while the resurgence of NTCO2 in fall-winter is due to entrainment of the TCO2 -rich subsurface waters from below. TA varies from ～2190 to ～2220 μmol kg^(-1) in tandem with salinity, suggesting the prime control of physical processes. fCO2 increases progressively from spring to summer, reaches a maximum in July (～382 μatm), then decreases from fall to winter to a minimum (-347 μatm) in January with an amplitude of ～35 μatm. The seasonal variability of fCO2 is in phase with temperature changes but is inversely correlated with the fluctuation of NTCO2, suggesting that the fCO2 seasonality is primarily controlled by temperature changes, though other factors have compensated partially to yield the observed low amplitude of its variability. The sea-to-air CO2 fluxes for spring, summer, fall and winter are estimated to range from 0.00±0.01 to -0.02±0.05, +0.03±0.01 to +0.23±0.06, +0.18±0.10 to +0.45±0.25, and -0.62±0.20 to -1.42±0.46 molC m^(-2) year^(-1), respectively. Throughout the year, the annual flux is calculated to be -0.11±0.08 -0.23±0.18 molC m^(-2) year^(-1) during the observed period. Furthermore, although there is a drawdown of NTCO2 of ～25 μmol kg1 from winter to summer, which implies a net community production of 6.80±0.77 mmolC m^(-2) year^(-1) in the mixed layer at the SEATS site, there is no corresponding change of nitrate observed, suggesting other sources of nitrogen required to sustain the new production.

並列關鍵字

Carbon dioxide ； Air-sea flux ； Time-series ； South China Sea

國際替代計量

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