Distribution and air-sea fluxes of carbon dioxide on the Chukchi Sea shelf

Abstract

This article presents the results of long-term studies of the dynamics of carbonate parameters and air–sea carbon dioxide fluxes on the Chukchi Sea shelf during the summer. As a result of the interaction of physical and biological factors, the surface waters on the west of Chukchi Sea were undersaturated with carbon dioxide when compared with atmospheric air; the partial pressure of CO2 varied in the range from 134 to 359 μatm. The average value of CO2 flux in the Chukchi Sea per unit area varied in the range from–2.4 to–22.0 mmol /(m2 day), which is significantly higher than the average value of CO2 flux in the World Ocean. It has been estimated that the minimal mass of C absorbed by the surface of Chukchi Sea from the atmosphere during ice-free season is 13 × 1012 g; a great part of this carbon is transported to the deeper layers of sea and isolated from the atmosphere for a long period of time. The studies of the carbonate system of the Chukchi Sea, especially of its western part, will provide some new data on the fluxes of carbon dioxide in the Arctic Ocean and their changes. Our analysis can be used for an interpretation of the satellite assessment of CO2 fluxes and dissolved CO2 distribution in the upper layers of the ocean.