ALBERT

Description: Assessment of the impact of upper-ocean measurements and of coherent integration of O2 measurements (as example for non-physical EOVs) for transports and fluxes in the Atlantic TMAs and synergies with the wider Atlantic Observing System. One workshop will be held to prepare the report and foster the cooperation on cross-TMA analyses

Description: Highlights: • Three different types of pCO2 sensors detected sedimentary artificial CO2 leaks in the water column. • Distribution of leaked CO2 in the water column featured high temporal and spatial heterogeneity. • Clear effect of CO2 leakage on the water column was visible only at high flow rates and low tides. • Fast recovery of the water column pCO2 was observed after the CO2 release was stopped. • Multivariate statistics can help to distinguish between anthropogenic and natural CO2 sources. Abstract: This work is focused on results from a recent controlled sub-seabed in situ carbon dioxide (CO2) release experiment carried out during May–October 2012 in Ardmucknish Bay on the Scottish west coast. Three types of pCO2 sensors (fluorescence, NDIR and ISFET-based technologies) were used in combination with multiparameter instruments measuring oxygen, temperature, salinity and currents in the water column at the epicentre of release and further away. It was shown that distribution of seafloor CO2 emissions features high spatial and temporal heterogeneity. The highest pCO2 values (∼1250 μatm) were detected at low tide around a bubble stream and within centimetres distance from the seafloor. Further up in the water column, 30–100 cm above the seabed, the gradients decreased, but continued to indicate elevated pCO2 at the epicentre of release throughout the injection campaign with the peak values between 400 and 740 μatm. High-frequency parallel measurements from two instruments placed within 1 m from each other, relocation of one of the instruments at the release site and 2D horizontal mapping of the release and control sites confirmed a localized impact from CO2 emissions. Observed effects on the water column were temporary and post-injection recovery took 〈7 days. A multivariate statistical approach was used to recognize the periods when the system was dominated by natural forcing with strong correlation between variation in pCO2 and O2, and when it was influenced by purposefully released CO2. Use of a hydrodynamic circulation model, calibrated with in situ data, was crucial to establishing background conditions in this complex and dynamic shallow water system.

Description: As ocean acidification (OA) sensor technology develops and improves, in situ deployment of such sensors is becoming more widespread. However, the scientific value of these data depends on the development and application of best practices for calibration, validation, and quality assurance as well as on further development and optimization of the measurement technologies themselves. Here, we summarize the results of a 2-day workshop on OA sensor best practices held in February 2018, in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, drawing on the collective experience and perspectives of the participants. The workshop on in situ Sensors for OA Research was organized around three basic questions: 1) What are the factors limiting the precision, accuracy and reliability of sensor data? 2) What can we do to facilitate the quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) process and optimize the utility of these data? and 3) What sort of data or metadata are needed for these data to be most useful to future users? A synthesis of the discussion of these questions among workshop participants and conclusions drawn is presented in this paper.

Description: Ocean surface partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2) is a key factor controlling air–sea CO2 fluxes. Most surface pCO2 data are collected with relatively large and complex air–water equilibrators coupled to stand‐alone infrared analyzers installed on Ships of OPportunity (SOOP‐CO2). This approach has proven itself through years of successful deployments, but expansion and sustainability of the future measurement network faces challenges in terms of certification, autonomy, and maintenance, which motivates development of new systems. Here, we compare performance of three underway pCO2 measurement systems (General Oceanics, SubCtech, and Pro‐Oceanus), including a recently developed compact flow‐through, sensor‐based system. The systems were intercompared over a period of 34 days during two crossings of the subpolar North Atlantic Ocean. With a mean difference from the General Oceanics system of −5.7 ± 4.0 μatm (Pro‐Oceanus) and −4.7 ± 2.9 μatm (SubCtech) during the 1st crossing, our results indicate potential for good agreement between the systems. The study highlighted the challenge of assuring accuracy over long periods of time, particularly seen in a worse agreement during the 2nd crossing, and revealed a number of sources of systematic errors. These can influence accuracy of the measurements, agreement between systems and include slow response of membrane‐based systems to pCO2 changes, “within‐ship” respiration due to biofouling, and bias in measurement of the temperature of equilibration. These error sources can be controlled or corrected for, however, if unidentified, their magnitude can be significant relative to accuracy criteria assigned to the highest‐quality data in global databases. The advantages of the compact flow‐through system are presented along with a discussion of future solutions for improving data quality.

Description: The Labrador Sea in the North Atlantic Ocean is one of the few regions globally where oxygen from the atmosphere can reach the deep ocean directly. This is the result of wintertime deep convection, which homogenizes the water column to a depth of up to 2000 m and brings deep water undersaturated in oxygen into contact with the atmosphere. In this study, we analyze how the intense oxygen uptake during Labrador Sea Water (LSW) formation affects the properties of the outflowing deep western boundary current, which ultimately feeds the upper part of the North Atlantic Deep Water layer in much of the Atlantic Ocean. Seasonal cycles of oxygen concentration, temperature, and salinity from a 2-year time series collected by sensors moored at 600 m nominal depth in the outflowing boundary current at 53∘ N show a cooling, freshening, and increase in oxygen content of the water flowing out of the basin between March and August. Analysis of Argo float data suggests that this is preceded by an increased input of LSW into the boundary current about 1 month earlier. This input is the result of newly ventilated LSW entering from the interior, as well as LSW formed directly within the boundary current. Together, these results imply that the southward export of newly formed LSW primarily occurs in the months following the onset of deep convection, from March to August, and that this direct LSW export route controls the seasonal oxygen increase in the outflow at 600 m depth. During the rest of the year, properties of the boundary current measured at 53∘ N resemble those of Irminger Water, which enters the basin with the boundary current from the Irminger Sea. The input of newly ventilated LSW increases the oxygen concentration from 298 µmol L−1 in January to a maximum of 306 µmol L−1 in April. As a result of this LSW input, an estimated (1.60 ± 0.42) × 1012 mol yr−1 of oxygen are added to the outflowing boundary current, mostly during spring and summer, equivalent to 50 % of the wintertime uptake from the atmosphere in the interior of the basin. The export of oxygen from the subpolar gyre associated with this direct southward pathway of LSW is estimated to supply 42 %–71 % of the oxygen consumed annually in the upper North Atlantic Deep Water layer in the Atlantic Ocean between the Equator and 50∘ N. Our results show that the formation of LSW is important for replenishing oxygen to the deep oceans, meaning that possible changes in its formation rate and ventilation due to climate change could have wide-reaching impacts on marine life.

Description: The uptake of dissolved oxygen from the atmosphere via air-sea gas exchange and its physical transport away from the region of uptake are crucial for supplying oxygen to the deep ocean. This process takes place in a few key regions that feature intense oxygen uptake, deep water formation, and physical oxygen export. In this study we analyze one such region, the Labrador Sea, utilizing the World Ocean Database (WOD) to construct a 65–year oxygen content time series in the Labrador Sea Water (LSW) layer (0–2200 m). The data reveal decadal variability associated with the strength of deep convection, with a maximum anomaly of 27 mol m–2 in 1992. There is no long-term trend in the time series, suggesting that the mean oxygen uptake is balanced by oxygen export out of the region. We compared the time series with output from nine models of the Ocean Model Intercomparison Project phase 1 in the Climate Model Intercomparison Project phase 6, (CMIP6-OMIP1), and constructed a “model score” to evaluate how well they match oxygen observations. Most CMIP6-OMIP1 models score around 50/100 points and the highest score is 57/100 for the ensemble mean, suggesting that improvements are needed. All of the models underestimate the maximum oxygen content anomaly in the 1990s. One possible cause for this is the representation of air-sea gas exchange for oxygen, with all models underestimating the mean uptake by a factor of two or more. Unrealistically deep convection and biased mean oxygen profiles may also contribute to the mismatch. Refining the representation of these processes in climate models could be vital for enhanced predictions of deoxygenation. In the CMIP6-OMIP1 multi-model mean, oxygen uptake has its maximum in 1980–1992, followed by a decrease in 1994–2006. There is a concurrent decrease in export, but oxygen storage also changes between the two periods, with oxygen accumulated in the first period and drained out in the second. Consequently, the change in oxygen export (5%) is much less than that in uptake (28%), suggesting that newly ventilated LSW which remains in the formation region acts to buffer the linkage between air-sea gas exchange and oxygen export.

Description: The field of oceanography is transitioning from data-poor to data-rich, thanks in part to increased deployment of in-situ platforms and sensors, such as those that instrument the US-funded Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI). However, generating science-ready data products from these sensors, particularly those making biogeochemical measurements, often requires extensive end-user calibration and validation procedures, which can present a significant barrier. Openly available community-developed and -vetted Best Practices contribute to overcoming such barriers, but collaboratively developing user-friendly Best Practices can be challenging. Here we describe the process undertaken by the NSF-funded OOI Biogeochemical Sensor Data Working Group to develop Best Practices for creating science-ready biogeochemical data products from OOI data, culminating in the publication of the GOOS-endorsed OOI Biogeochemical Sensor Data Best Practices and User Guide. For Best Practices related to ocean observatories, engaging observatory staff is crucial, but having a “user-defined” process ensures the final product addresses user needs. Our process prioritized bringing together a diverse team and creating an inclusive environment where all participants could effectively contribute. Incorporating the perspectives of a wide range of experts and prospective end users through an iterative review process that included “Beta Testers’’ enabled us to produce a final product that combines technical information with a user-friendly structure that illustrates data analysis pipelines via flowcharts and worked examples accompanied by pseudo-code. Our process and its impact on improving the accessibility and utility of the end product provides a roadmap for other groups undertaking similar community-driven activities to develop and disseminate new Ocean Best Practices.

Description: The Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas (SOCAT) is a synthesis activity by the international marine carbon research community (〉100 contributors). SOCATv2019 has 25.7 million quality-controlled, surface ocean fCO2 (fugacity of carbon dioxide) observations from 1957 to 2019 for the global oceans and coastal seas. Calibrated sensor data are also available. Automation allows annual, public releases. SOCAT data is discoverable, accessible and citable. SOCAT enables quantification of the ocean carbon sink and ocean acidification and evaluation of ocean biogeochemical models. SOCAT represents a milestone in biogeochemical and climate research and in informing policy. This publication contains the individual cruise files that are new or updated from SOCATv6, with cruise QC flags A-E and all fCO2 WOCE flags. The synthesis file hosted in NOAA NCEI (see other version) contains A-D cruises and WOCE flag 2 (good) data. To download the SOCATv2019 data product in other formats or subsets, please go to www.socat.info.

Description: © The Author(s), 2021. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Atamanchuk, D., Palter, J., Palevsky, H., Le Bras, I., Koelling, J., & Nicholson, D. Linking oxygen and carbon uptake with the Meridional Overturning Circulation using a transport mooring array. Oceanography, 34(4), (2021): 9, https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2021.supplement.02-03.

Description: The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is a system of ocean currents that transports warm, salty water poleward from the tropics to the North Atlantic. Its structure and strength are monitored at several latitudes by mooring arrays installed by the international ocean sciences community. While the main motivation for deploying these mooring arrays is to understand the AMOC’s influence on Northern Hemisphere climate, the circulation system also plays a crucial role in distributing oxygen (O2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) throughout the global ocean. By adding O2 sensors to several of the moorings at 53°N–60°N (Figure 1) in the western Labrador Sea, Koelling et al. (2021) demonstrated that the formation of deep water, in which the AMOC brings surface water to the deep ocean, is important for supplying the oxygen consumed by deep-ocean ecosystems throughout the North Atlantic. Additionally, variability in the deep-water formation has been linked to changes in the amount of anthropogenic CO2 stored in the subpolar ocean (Raimondi et al., 2021). These studies, using data collected during research cruises and a small number of moored sensors, showed that deep-water formation and the AMOC are key to oxygen and carbon cycles in the North Atlantic. However, the common assumption that the magnitude and variability of O2 and CO2 uptake by the ocean are tied to the dynamics of the AMOC has never been evaluated on the basis of direct observations.