Determining seasonal and interannual controls on air-sea carbon dioxide flux in a highly productive marginal sea

沿海边缘是最具生产力和活力的海洋生态系统的所在地，在区域和全球碳循环中发挥着关键作用。然而，在这些环境中建立海气碳通量一直很困难，因为观测覆盖范围和评估和模拟所涉及过程的能力存在差距。新罕布什尔大学的科学家们有一组独特的二氧化碳数据，从2004年到现在，这些数据来自船上每月对内部、中部和外部大陆架的测量，以及一个停泊平台的每小时数据。实地数据将与3D循环/生化模型相结合，以验证一个假设，即季节性分层的缅因湾是大气中二氧化碳的来源，尽管该地区有大量的浮游植物净产量。这项研究将首次提供该地区二氧化碳通量的年度和年际估计。研究结果还将有助于更好地了解沿海海气交换的季节性影响，并将提供更多关于全球气候敏感控制的信息，包括风暴引起的垂直混合和陆地径流。至于更广泛的影响，这项研究的结果将与设在美国其他沿海地点的国家海洋和大气管理局浮标的数据联系起来。外联工作包括为美国国家科学基金会全球碳项目设计一个海洋碳模块，目标受众是K-12学生。

Coastal margins are home to the most productive and dynamic ocean ecosystems and play a key role in regional and global carbon cycling. However, establishing the air-sea carbon flux in these settings has been difficult because of gaps in observational coverage and the ability to assess and model the processes involved. Scientists from the University of New Hampshire have at their disposal a unique set of carbon dioxide data from 2004 to present from monthly shipboard measurements made on the inner, mid, and outer shelf, as well as hourly data from a moored platform. The field data would be combined with a 3D circulation/biochemical model to test the hypothesis that the seasonally stratified Gulf of Maine is a source of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere even though the area has significant net production of phytoplankton. This research would provide the first annual and interannual estimates of carbon dioxide flux that occurs in this region. Results would also lead toward an improved understanding of seasonal impacts on coastal air-sea exchange and would provide more information on global climate-sensitive controls including storm-induced vertical mixing and terrestrial runoff. As regards broader impacts, results from the study would be linked with data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration buoys located at other coastal sites of the United States. Outreach efforts include the design of a ocean carbon module for the National Science Foundation Globe Carbon Project aimed at a K-12 audience.