Anthropogenic CO 2 fluxes in the Otranto Strait (E. Mediterranean) in February 1995

Abstract

This study presents the distribution and fluxes of dissolved inorganic carbon (C T), total alkalinity ( A T) and anthropogenic carbon (C ant) along the Otranto strait, during February 1995. Based on a limited number of properties (temperature, dissolved oxygen, total alkalinity and dissolved inorganic carbon), the composite tracer TrOCA was used to estimate the concentration of anthropogenic CO 2 in the Otranto strait. Total alkalinity exhibits high values and weak variability throughout the water column of the strait, probably associated with the dense water formation processes in the Adriatic basin that induce a rapid transport of the coastal alkalinity to the deep waters. Elevated C ant concentrations and high anthropogenic pH variations are observed in the bottom layer of the strait, associated with the presence of Adriatic Deep Water (ADW). The study shows that large amounts of C ant have penetrated the highly alkaline Eastern Mediterranean waters, thereby causing a significant pH reduction since the pre-industrial era. Estimates of the transports of C T and C ant through the strait indicate that during February 1995, the Adriatic Sea imports through the Otranto strait natural and anthropogenic carbon and acts as a net sink of carbon for the Ionian Sea. The anthropogenic carbon that is imported to the Adriatic Sea represents less than 1% of the net C T inflow. The Levantine Intermediate Water (LIW) contributes to about one-third of the total C T and C ant inflow. Although the amounts of C ant annually transported by LIW and ADW are almost equal, the contribution of C ant to the C T transported by each water mass is slightly higher in ADW (3.1%) than in LIW (2.6%), as a result of its higher mean C ant concentration. The ADW, despite its weak contribution to the total outflow of C ant, has a vital role for the sequestration and storage of the anthropogenic carbon, as this water mass is the main component of the Eastern Mediterranean Deep Waters and, thus, the anthropogenic CO 2 is transferred in the deep horizons of the Eastern Mediterranean, where it remains isolated for many years.