Southern Ocean Gas Exchange Experiment Research Articles

Shipboard Wave Measurements in the Southern Ocean

AbstractSurface wave measurements from ships pose difficulties because of motion contamination. Cifuentes-Lorenzen et al. analyzed laser altimeter and marine X-band radar (MR) wave measurements from the Southern Ocean Gas Exchange Experiment (SOGasEx). They found that wave measurements from both sensors deteriorate precipitously at ship speeds3 m s−1. This study demonstrates that MR can yield accurate wave frequency–direction spectra independent of ship motion. It is based on the same shipborne SOGasEx wave data but uses the MR wave retrieval method proposed by Lund et al. and a novel empirical transfer function (ETF). The ETF eliminates biases in the MR wave spectra by redistributing energy from low to high frequencies. The resulting MR wave frequency–direction spectra are shown to agree well with laser altimeter wave frequency spectra from times when the ship was near stationary and with WAVEWATCH III (WW3) model wave parameters over the full study period.

Estimating the distribution of colored dissolved organic matter during the Southern Ocean Gas Exchange Experiment using four‐dimensional variational data assimilation

AbstractWe diagnosed the effect of various physical processes on the distribution of mixed‐layer colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) and a sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) tracer during the Southern Ocean Gas Exchange Experiment (SO GasEx). The biochemical upper ocean state estimate uses in situ and satellite biochemical and physical data in the study region, including CDOM (absorption coefficient and spectral slope), SF6, hydrography, and sea level anomaly. Modules for photobleaching of CDOM and surface transport of SF6 were coupled with an ocean circulation model for this purpose. The observed spatial and temporal variations in CDOM were captured by the state estimate without including any new biological source term for CDOM, assuming it to be negligible over the 26 days of the state estimate. Thermocline entrainment and photobleaching acted to diminish the mixed‐layer CDOM with time scales of 18 and 16 days, respectively. Lateral advection of CDOM played a dominant role and increased the mixed‐layer CDOM with a time scale of 12 days, whereas lateral diffusion of CDOM was negligible. A Lagrangian view on the CDOM variability was demonstrated by using the SF6 as a weighting function to integrate the CDOM fields. This and similar data assimilation methods can be used to provide reasonable estimates of optical properties, and other physical parameters over the short‐term duration of a research cruise, and help in the tracking of tracer releases in large‐scale oceanographic experiments, and in oceanographic process studies.

Optical measurements of small deeply penetrating bubble populations generated by breaking waves in the Southern Ocean

AbstractBubble size distributions ranging from 0.5 to 125 μm radius were measured optically during high winds of 13 m s−1 and large‐scale wave breaking as part of the Southern Ocean Gas Exchange Experiment. Very small bubbles with radii less than 60 µm were measured at 6–9 m depth using optical measurements of the near‐forward volume scattering function and critical scattering angle for bubbles (∼80°). The bubble size distributions generally followed a power law distribution with mean slope values ranging from 3.6 to 4.6. The steeper slopes measured here were consistent with what would be expected near the base of the bubble plume. Bubbles, likely stabilized with organic coatings, were present for time periods on the order of 10–100 s at depths of 6–9 m. Here, relatively young seas, with an inverse wave age of approximately 0.88 and shorter characteristic wave scales, produced lower bubble concentrations, shallower bubble penetration depths, and steep bubble size distribution slopes. Conversely, older seas, with an inverse wave age of 0.70 and longer characteristic wave scales, produced relatively higher bubble concentrations penetrating to 15 m depth, larger bubble sizes, and shallower bubble size distribution slopes. When extrapolated to 4 m depth using a previously published bubble size distribution, our estimates suggest that the deeply penetrating small bubbles measured in the Southern Ocean supplied ∼36% of the total void fraction and likely contributed to the transfer and supersaturation of low‐solubility gases.

Lagrangian evolution of DMS during the Southern Ocean gas exchange experiment: The effects of vertical mixing and biological community shift

Concentrations of dimethylsulfide (DMS) and its precursor dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) are highly variable in time and space. What is driving the variability in DMS(P), and can those variability be explained by physical processes and changes in the biological community? During the Southern Ocean Gas Exchange Experiment (SO GasEx) in the austral fall of 2008, two 3He/SF6 labeled patches were created in the surface water. SF6 and DMS were surveyed continuously in a Lagrangian framework, while direct measurements of air‐sea exchange further constrained the gas budgets. Turbulent diffusivity at the base of the mixed layer was estimated from SF6 profiles and used to calculate the vertical fluxes of DMS and nutrients. Increasing mixed layer nutrient concentrations due to mixing were associated with a shift in the phytoplankton community structure, which in turned likely affected the sulfur dynamics on timescales of days. DMS concentration as well as air‐sea DMS flux appeared to be decoupled from the DMSP concentration, possibly due to grazing and bacterial DMS production. Contrary to expectations, in an environment with high winds and modest productivity, physical processes (air‐sea exchange, photochemistry, vertical mixing) only accounted for a small fraction of DMS loss from the surface water. Among the DMS sinks, inferred biological consumption most likely dominated during SO GasEx.

A Multisensor Comparison of Ocean Wave Frequency Spectra from a Research Vessel during the Southern Ocean Gas Exchange Experiment

AbstractObtaining accurate measurements of wave statistics from research vessels remains a challenge due to the platform motion. One principal correction is the removal of ship heave and Doppler effects from point measurements. Here, open-ocean wave measurements were collected using a laser altimeter, a Doppler radar microwave sensor, a radar-based system, and inertial measurement units. Multiple instruments were deployed to capture the low- and high-frequency sea surface displacements. Doppler and motion correction algorithms were applied to obtain a full 1D (0.035–1.3 ± 0.2 Hz) wave spectrum. The radar-based system combined with the laser altimeter provided the optimal low- and high-frequency combination, producing a frequency spectrum in the range from 0.035 to 1.2 Hz for cruising speeds ≤3 m s−1 with a spectral rolloff of f−4 Hz and noise floor of −20/−30 dB. While on station, the significant wave height estimates were comparable within 10%–15% among instrumentation. Discrepancies in the total energy and in the spectral shape between instruments arise when the ship is in motion. These differences can be quantified using the spectral behavior of the measurements, accounting for aliasing and Doppler corrections. The inertial sensors provided information on the amplitude of the ship’s modulation transfer function, which was estimated to be ~1.3 ± 0.2 while on station and increased while underway [2.1 at ship-over-ground (SOG) speed; 4.3 m s−1]. The correction scheme presented here is adequate for measurements collected at cruising speeds of 3 m s−1 or less. At speeds greater than 5 m s−1, the motion and Doppler corrections are not sufficient to correct the observed spectral degradation.

Waves and air‐sea fluxes from a drifting ASIS buoy during the Southern Ocean Gas Exchange experiment

The Southern Ocean, while widely acknowledged as playing a major role within the Earth's climate system, remains the most poorly sampled and understood of the world's ocean basins. The High Latitude Surface Flux Working Group of U.S. CLIVAR (Climate Variability and Predictability, part of the World Climate Research Programme) has accordingly identified as a key priority the need for further measurements in the Southern Ocean. During the 2008 Southern Ocean Gas Exchange experiment, an Air‐Sea Interaction Spar (ASIS) buoy was deployed to measure air‐sea fluxes, surface waves, and mean properties of the upper ocean and lower atmosphere. During its eight‐day deployment in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean, the drifting buoy captured two storm events, with winds reaching 20 m s−1 and waves approaching 6 m significant height. The wavefield was observed to be dominated by swell waves except for the storm periods. In a combined analysis using data from two other ASIS deployments, existing relations for fetch limited wave growth were evaluated. Measured moisture flux showed good comparison with previous findings indicating a near‐constant Dalton number. The drag coefficient was found to be significantly higher than previous parameterization predictions, due to an effect of swell wave interaction with the atmospheric turbulence. This enhanced momentum flux in the swell dominated seas of the Southern Ocean must be accounted for in regional bulk flux relations.

Primary productivity, new productivity, and their relation to carbon flux during two Southern Ocean Gas Exchange tracer experiments

Biological uptake rates of inorganic carbon and nitrate were measured during two sequential tracer release gas exchange experiments, together known as the Southern Ocean Gas Exchange Experiment (SO GasEx) in the southwest Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean Antarctic Zone (51°N, 38°W). Primary productivity estimated from 14C incubations ranged from 26.7 to 47.2 mmol C m−2 d−1 in the first experiment (Patch 1) and 13.7 to 39.4 mmol C m−2 d−1 in the second experiment (Patch 2). Nitrate‐based productivity estimated from 15NO3 incubations ranged from 5.8 to 13.1 mmol C m−2 d−1 in Patch 1 and 1.9 to 7.1 mmol C m−2 d−1 in Patch 2. The average ratio of nitrate‐based productivity to primary productivity (approximating the f ratio) was 0.24 in Patch 1 and 0.15 in Patch 2. Chlorophyll concentrations for both patches were less than 1 mg m−3. Photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm) was low (∼0.3) in Patch 1 and moderate (∼0.45) in Patch 2. Si(OH)4 concentrations were potentially limiting (<1 mmol m−3 for Patch 1 and ∼3 mmol m−3 for Patch 2), while NH4+ concentrations were elevated (∼1 mmol m−3 for Patch 1 and ∼2.2 mmol m−3 for Patch 2) compared with typical open ocean Antarctic Zone water. We hypothesize that Patch 1 productivity was regulated by the availability of Si(OH)4, while Patch 2 productivity was regulated by grazers. Primary production and nitrate‐based production (as a proxy for C export) determined here provide components for a mixed layer carbon budget from which the air‐sea flux of CO2 will be quantified.

Atmosphere‐ocean ozone fluxes during the TexAQS 2006, STRATUS 2006, GOMECC 2007, GasEx 2008, and AMMA 2008 cruises

A ship‐based eddy covariance ozone flux system was deployed to investigate the magnitude and variability of ozone surface fluxes over the open ocean. The flux experiments were conducted on five cruises on board the NOAA research vesselRonald Brownduring 2006–2008. The cruises covered the Gulf of Mexico, the southern as well as northern Atlantic, the Southern Ocean, and the persistent stratus cloud region off Chile in the eastern Pacific Ocean. These experiments resulted in the first ship‐borne open‐ocean ozone flux measurement records. The median of 10 min oceanic ozone deposition velocity (vd) results from a combined ∼ 1700 h of observations ranged from 0.009 to 0.034 cm s−1. For the Gulf of Mexico cruise (Texas Air Quality Study (TexAQS)) the median vd (interquartile range) was 0.034 (0.009–0.065) cm s−1 (total number of 10 min measurement intervals, Nf = 1953). For the STRATUS cruise off the Chilean coast, the median vd was 0.009 (0.004–0.037) cm s−1 (Nf = 1336). For the cruise from the Gulf of Mexico and up the eastern U.S. coast (Gulf of Mexico and East Coast Carbon cruise (GOMECC)) a combined value of 0.018 (0.006–0.045) cm s−1 (Nf = 1784) was obtained (from 0.019 (−0.014–0.043) cm s−1, Nf = 663 in the Gulf of Mexico, and 0.018 (−0.004–0.045) cm s−1, Nf = 1121 in the North Atlantic region). The Southern Ocean Gas Exchange Experiment (GasEx) and African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis (AMMA), the Southern Ocean and northeastern Atlantic cruises, respectively, resulted in median ozone vd of 0.009 (−0.005–0.026) cm s−1 (Nf = 2745) and 0.020 (−0.003–0.044) cms−1 (Nf = 1147). These directly measured ozone deposition values are at the lower end of previously reported data in the literature (0.01–0.12 cm s−1) for ocean water. Data illustrate a positive correlation (increase) of the oceanic ozone uptake rate with wind speed, albeit the behavior of the relationship appears to differ during these cruises. The encountered wide range of meteorological and ocean biogeochemical conditions is used to investigate fundamental drivers of oceanic O3 deposition and for the evaluation of a recently developed global oceanic O3 deposition modeling system.

Dissolved O2/Ar and other methods reveal rapid changes in productivity during a Lagrangian experiment in the Southern Ocean

We use continuous and discrete measurements of the dissolved O2/Ar ratio in the mixed layer to investigate the dynamics of biological productivity during the Southern Ocean Gas Exchange Experiment in March and April 2008. Injections of SF6 defined two water masses (patches) that were followed for up to 2 weeks. In the first patch, dissolved O2/Ar was supersaturated, indicating net biological production of organic carbon. In the second patch, rapidly decreasing O2/Ar could only be reasonably explained if the mixed layer was experiencing a period of net heterotrophy. The observations rule out dominant contributions from vertical mixing, lateral dilution, or respiration in the ship's underway seawater supply lines. We also compare nine different estimates of net community, new, primary, or gross production made during the experiment. Net community and new production estimates agreed well in the first patch but disagreed in the second patch, both during an initial net heterotrophic period but also during the apparently autotrophic period at the end of the observations. Rapidly changing productivity during the second patch complicated the comparison of methods that integrate over daily and several week timescales. Primary productivity values from on‐deck 24 h 14C incubations and gross carbon production values from photosynthesis‐irradiance experiments were nearly identical even during highly dynamic periods of net heterotrophy, while gross oxygen production measurements were 3.5–4.2 times higher but with uncertainties in that ratio near ±2. These comparisons show that the photosynthesis‐irradiance experiments based on 1–2 h 14C incubations underestimated gross carbon production.

Direct covariance measurement of CO2gas transfer velocity during the 2008 Southern Ocean Gas Exchange Experiment: Wind speed dependency

[1] Direct measurements of air-sea heat, momentum, and mass (including CO2, DMS, and water vapor) fluxes using the direct covariance method were made over the open ocean from the NOAA R/V Ronald H. Brown during the Southern Ocean Gas Exchange (SO GasEx) program. Observations of fluxes and the physical processes associated with driving air-sea exchange are key components of SO GasEx. This paper focuses on the exchange of CO2 and the wind speed dependency of the transfer velocity, k, used to model the CO2 flux between the atmosphere and ocean. A quadratic dependence of k on wind speed based on dual tracer experiments is most frequently encountered in the literature. However, in recent years, bubble-mediated enhancement of k, which exhibits a cubic relationship with wind speed, has emerged as a key issue for flux parameterization in high-wind regions. Therefore, a major question addressed in SO GasEx is whether the transfer velocities obey a quadratic or cubic relationship with wind speed. After significant correction to the flux estimates (primarily due to moisture contamination), the direct covariance CO2 fluxes confirm a significant enhancement of the transfer velocity at high winds compared with previous quadratic formulations. Regression analysis suggests that a cubic relationship provides a more accurate parameterization over a wind speed range of 0 to 18 m s−1. The Southern Ocean results are in good agreement with the 1998 GasEx experiment in the North Atlantic and a recent separate field program in the North Sea.

Southern Ocean Gas Exchange Experiment: Setting the stage

[1] The Southern Ocean Gas Exchange Experiment (SO GasEx) is the third in a series of U.S.‐led open ocean process studies aimed at improving the quantification of gas transfer velocities and air‐sea CO2 fluxes. Two deliberate 3He/SF6 tracer releases into relatively stable water masses selected for large DpCO2 took place in the southwest Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean in austral fall of 2008. The tracer patches were sampled in a Lagrangian manner, using observations from discrete CTD/Rosette casts, continuous surface ocean and atmospheric monitoring, and autonomous drifting instruments to study the evolution of chemical and biological properties over the course of the experiment. CO2 and DMS fluxes were directly measured in the marine air boundary layer with micrometeorological techniques, and physical, chemical, and biological processes controlling air‐sea fluxes were quantified with measurements in the upper ocean and marine air. Average wind speeds of 9 m s−1 to a maximum of 16 m s−1 were encountered during the tracer patch observations, providing additional data to constrain wind speed/gas exchange parameterizations. In this paper, we set the stage for the experiment by detailing the hydrographic observations during the site surveys and tracer patch occupations that form the underpinning of observations presented in the SO GasEx special section. Particular consideration is given to the mixed layer depth as this is a critical variable for estimates of fluxes and biogeochemical transformations based on mixed layer budgets.

Horizontal and vertical distributions of colored dissolved organic matter during the Southern Ocean Gas Exchange Experiment

[1] Field and remote sensing measurements of colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) were acquired in the Southern Ocean during the 2008 Gas Exchange experiment. Values of CDOM absorption coefficient at 440 nm (ag440) ranged from ∼0.02 to ∼0.06 m−1. In general, CDOM was higher in the region sampled during this study than in other regions of the Southern Ocean. CDOM showed an inverse correlation with salinity, and the spectral slope parameter S varied directly with salinity. These relationships, water circulation patterns, and characteristics of South Georgia Island suggested that runoff was a source of CDOM in the study site. Analysis of seasonal variability of ag440 using ocean color imagery of areas away from the effect of South Georgia Island showed seasonal fluctuations between ∼0.02 to ∼0.03 m−1. CDOM production models showed that in situ production could also account for seasonal changes in CDOM.

The contribution of coccolithophores to the optical and inorganic carbon budgets during the Southern Ocean Gas Exchange Experiment: New evidence in support of the “Great Calcite Belt” hypothesis

[1] We describe optical observations from the Southern Ocean (SO) Gas Exchange Experiment (GasEx) during March 2008, designed to test the hypothesis that enhanced reflectance of the Southern Ocean waters was related to a high abundance of coccolithophorids. We present multiple lines of evidence in support of this hypothesis: (1) birefringence microscopy, (2) along-track measurements of acid labile backscattering, (3) analytical measurements of particulate inorganic carbon (PIC), and (4) above-water radiometry measurements made from both ship and satellite. At the SO GasEx study site (∼51°S, 38.5°W) coccolithophores and coccoliths were abundant (∼300 cells mL−1 and 20,000 coccoliths mL−1) and concentrations were stable over time scales of weeks. Enhanced concentrations of PIC were observed between the Subtropical Front (STF) and the northern part of the Subantarctic Front (SAF) and between the SAF region and Polar Front. Biogenic silica was elevated with the highest concentrations south of the STF. These results, along with other recent microscope observations of coccolithophores made by other workers around the Southern Ocean, suggest that the region of enhanced reflectance is, at least partially, due to coccolithophores. However, the PIC estimated from above-water reflectance measurements was 2–3X the PIC actually measured in the water. One possible reason for this is the presence of other sources of scattering, such as microbubbles (at least during stormy conditions). These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that this region of elevated reflectance and PIC is part of a significantly larger region which encircles the entire Southern Ocean each austral summer, a band that we call the “Great Calcite Belt.”

Air-sea exchange of dimethylsulfide in the Southern Ocean: Measurements from SO GasEx compared to temperate and tropical regions

[1] In the Southern Ocean Gas Exchange Experiment (SO GasEx), we measured an atmospheric dimethylsulfide (DMS) concentration of 118 ± 54 pptv (1σ), a DMS sea-to-air flux of 2.9 ± 2.1 μmol m−2 d−1 by eddy covariance, and a seawater DMS concentration of 1.6 ± 0.7 nM. Dividing flux by the concurrent air-sea concentration difference yields the transfer velocity of DMS (kDMS). The kDMS in the Southern Ocean was significantly lower than previous measurements in the equatorial east Pacific, Sargasso Sea, northeast Atlantic, and southeast Pacific. Normalizing kDMS for the temperature dependence in waterside diffusivity and solubility results in better agreement among various field studies and suggests that the low kDMS in the Southern Ocean is primarily due to colder temperatures. The higher solubility of DMS at a lower temperature results in greater airside control and less transfer of the gas by bubbles formed from breaking waves. The final normalized DMS transfer velocity is similar to k of less soluble gases such as carbon dioxide in low-to-moderate winds; in high winds, DMS transfer velocity is significantly lower because of the reduced bubble-mediated transfer.

Toward a universal relationship between wind speed and gas exchange: Gas transfer velocities measured with3He/SF6during the Southern Ocean Gas Exchange Experiment

[1] Two 3He/SF6 dual-gas tracer injections were conducted during the Southern Ocean Gas Exchange Experiment (SO GasEx) to determine gas transfer velocities. During the experiment, wind speeds of up to 16.4 m s−1 were encountered. A total of 360 3He and 598 SF6 samples were collected at 40 conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) rosette casts and two pumped stations. The gas transfer velocity k was calculated from the decrease in the observed 3He/SF6 ratio using three different approaches. Discrete points of wind speed and corresponding k were obtained from the change in 3He/SF6 ratio over three time intervals. The results were also evaluated using an analytical model and a 1-D numerical model. The results from the three approaches agreed within the error of the estimates of about ±13%–15% for Patch 1 and ±4% for Patch 2. Moreover, 3He/SF6 dual-tracer results from SO GasEx are similar to those from other areas in both the coastal and open ocean and are in agreement with existing parameterizations between wind speed and gas exchange. This suggests that wind forcing is the major driver of gas exchange for slightly soluble gases in the ocean and that other known impacts are either intrinsically related to wind or have a small effect (<20% on average) on time scales of the order of days to weeks. The functionality of the wind speed dependence (quadratic or cubic) cannot be unequivocally determined from SO GasEx results.

An assessment of optical properties and primary production derived from remote sensing in the Southern Ocean (SO GasEx)

[1] Optical properties and primary production were measured during the Southern Ocean (SO) Gas Exchange Experiment (GasEx) (March–April 2008). To assess and evaluate these properties derived from remote sensing, absorption coefficients derived from remote sensing reflectance (Rrs) with the quasi-analytical algorithm were compared with those from in situ measurements from both an ac-9 optical instrument deployed on a profiling package and from discrete water samples analyzed using filter pad spectrophotometry. Total absorption coefficients from Rrs retrievals were found, on average, to be ∼12% less than ac-9 measurements and ∼15% less than filter pad measurements. Absorption coefficients of gelbstoff-detritus and phytoplankton pigments (at 443 nm) derived from Rrs were ∼15% and ∼25% less than ac-9 measurements, respectively. The difference can be well explained based on the determination methods and these results indicate general consistency between remote sensing retrievals and in situ measurements for these waters. Further, incorporating measured surface radiation data, water column primary production (PPeu) was estimated using chlorophyll concentration based models (Chl-PP) and a phytoplankton absorption based model (Aph-PP), where remote-sensing Chl was retrieved with an operational empirical algorithm. These estimated PPeu values were then compared with primary productivity measured using 14C incubation techniques, and coefficient of determination (R2, N = 13) of 0.74 were found for the Aph-PP results, while the R2 of the Chl-PP results were less than 0.5. Such a contrast further highlights the importance of analytically retrieving phytoplankton absorption from measurement of ocean color and the advantage of using phytoplankton absorption to represent the role of phytoplankton in photosynthesis. Spatial distribution and contrast of PPeu in the greater SO GasEx region estimated from satellite data are also presented.

Upper ocean state estimation in the Southern Ocean Gas Exchange Experiment region using the four-dimensional variational technique

[1] A prototypical ocean circulation model, and associated 4-D variational data assimilation system, is configured in support of the Southern Ocean Gas Exchange Experiment (Southern Ocean GasEx). The regional circulation model has 4 km horizontal resolution and 5 m vertical resolution in the upper ocean. In situ temperature and salinity observations and remotely sensed, gridded sea surface temperature and sea surface height observations are combined with the circulation model between 6 March and 4 April 2008. The benefits of customized data assimilation in support of a single oceanographic cruise are illustrated using Southern Ocean GasEx as a case study. The assimilated fields fit the observations within their respective uncertainties and fit 4–6 times better than the initial guess solution before assimilation. The fit of the assimilated fields is up to 100 times closer to observations than various global state estimate products using a cost function variance metric. The space-time variability in mixed layer depth is consistent with the Southern Ocean GasEx observations and shows a deepening through March 2008. This variability is correlated with sea level height anomalies, sea surface temperature, and air temperature, during the assimilation window. The mixed layer depth estimate between 21 March and 4 April 2008 at the location of the Southern Ocean GasEx deliberate tracer release is 41–54 ± 6 m. The average zonal volume flux estimate is 16 ± 1.9 Sv (1 Sv is 106 m3 s−1) for latitudes 50.7°S–51.8°S, longitude 38.5°W. The zonal volume flux approximately halves during 6–16 March; temporal changes in volume flux are associated with geostrophic circulation but not with the Ekman circulation.