JGOFS - Seasonal Study of Carbon Chemistry in the Eastern Equatorial Pacific

赤道太平洋是海洋/大气二氧化碳系统的重要组成部分，也是大气中二氧化碳的最大区域来源。 ENSO 循环对海面 pCO2 的影响以及末次冰河期赤道生产的明显变化证明了控制 pCO2 的过程对气候强迫的敏感性。 JGOFS 赤道太平洋过程研究的中心目标是阐明物理循环与控制表层海洋 pCO2 的生物和化学过程之间的联系。 该计划的一个关键部分必须是结合其他化学和生物测量来测量 pCO2。 上层海洋的 pCO2、总二氧化碳和碱度将在两艘“勘测”上层海洋 JGOFS 巡航中使用经过验证的标准方法进行测量。 与通过其他测量计算 pCO2 不同，直接测量 pCO2 对于准确计算空气-海洋通量是必要的。 总CO2和碱度的变化将分别限制有机碳和方解石的动态。 碳酸盐化学数据将被纳入详细的赤道太平洋物理循环模型中，以解决温跃层通风问题以及养分利用效率对大气二氧化碳分压的影响。

The equatorial Pacific represents a significant portion of the ocean/atmosphere CO2 system and is the largest regional source for CO2 to the atmosphere. The sensitivity of the processes controlling pCO2 to climatic forcing is attested to by the impact of the ENSO cycles on the sea surface pCO2, and by the apparent change in equatorial production during the last glacial period. A central goal of JGOFS Equatorial Pacific Process Study is to elucidate the links between the physical circulation and the biological and chemical processes that control the surface ocean pCO2. A crucial part of this program must be to measure the pCO2 in conjunction with the other chemical and biological measurements. pCO2, total CO2, and alkalinity of the upper ocean will be measured using proven and standard methods, on the two "survey" upper ocean JGOFS cruises. Measurement of pCO2 directly, as opposed to calculating pCO2 from other measurements, is necessary to accurately calculate air-sea fluxes. The variation of total CO2 and alkalinity will constrain the dynamics of organic carbon and calcite, respectively. The carbonate chemistry data will be incorporated into a detailed physical circulation model of the equatorial Pacific, to address questions of thermocline ventilation and the effect of nutrient utilization efficiency on atmospheric pCO2.