Abstract:

The partial pressure of carbon dioxide in surface water and atmosphere along the track between Zhongshan Station and the Great Wall Station in the Southern Ocean was continually measured during the summer voyage for CHINARE XVI from December 1999 to February 2000. The results show that there is a sink for atmospheric CO 2 during summer between 80°W to 80°E in the Southern Ocean, especially in the area of 45°W to 30°W and 10°W to 10°E. The similar pattern of sink distribution can also be observed from the return observations from the Great Wall Station to Zhongshan Station. Absorbing CO 2 from air to sea in the investigated waters in January was twice higher than that in December. Using the newest calculation of transfer velocity of CO 2, fluxes of CO 2 was 3.98 and 2.13 mol/ (m 2·a) in January and December respectively. The average of total CO 2 fluxes in the Southern Ocean during summer was 3.06 mol/(m 2·a), suggesting an important summer sink of CO 2 in the South Hemisphere.