The oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) off Chile as intense source of CO 2 and N 2O

Abstract

The oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) are recognized as intense sources of N 2O greenhouse gas (GHG) and could also be potential sources of CO 2, the most important GHG for the present climate change. This study evaluates, for one of the most intense and shallow OMZ, the Chilean East South Pacific OMZ, the simultaneous N 2O and CO 2 fluxes at the air–sea interface. Four cruises (2000–2002) and 1 year of monitoring (21°–30°–36°S) off Chile allowed the determination of the CO 2 and N 2O concentrations at the sea surface and the analysis of fluxes variations associated with different OMZ configurations. The Chilean OMZ area can be an intense GHG oceanic local source of both N 2O and CO 2. The mean N 2O fluxes are 5–10 times higher than the maximal previous historical source in an OMZ open area as in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. For CO 2, the mean fluxes are also positive and correspond to very high oceanic sources. Even if different coupling and decoupling between N 2O and CO 2 are observed along the Chilean OMZ, 65% of the situations represent high CO 2 and/or N 2O sources. The high GHG sources are associated with coastal upwelling transport of OMZ waters rich in N 2O and probably also in CO 2, located at a shallow depth. The integrated OMZ role on GHG should be better considered to improve our understanding of the past and future atmospheric CO 2 and N 2O evolutions.