Southern Ocean Seasonal Net Production from Atmospheric and Ocean Data Sets
NASA, 36 months
PROJECT SUMMARY
We propose to synthesize large-scale oceanic (dissolved oxygen, dissolved
inorganic carbon, sea-surface temperature,
mixed layer depth, heat flux)
and atmospheric (O2/N2 ratio) datasets at on large
scales in the Southern Hemisphere south of 30 S. The chemical and
physical datasets will be used to construct estimates of monthly, zonally-averaged
net community production of organic carbon in the ocean mixed layer.
Following these analyses, we will also investigate interannual relationships
between those variables (O2/N2, SST, heat flux) which
are available as continuous time-series with the goal of understanding
interannual controls on production and carbon cycling. Our study
will clarify the magnitude of and large-scale controls on production and
carbon flux in the Southern Ocean and provide a basis for intercomparison
with independent estimates based on satellite-derived ocean color.
These studies will also establish the basis for using atmospheric observations
for documenting and interpreting annual and interannual variations in the
future.
Ralph F. Keeling
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
University of California, San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla, California 92093-0236
tel: (619) 534-7582
fax: (619) 534-2997
rkeeling@ucsd.edu