Research
Non-belspo (1998-2001)
CARUSO - Carbon dioxide uptake by the Southern Ocean
Project description
Variations of atmospheric CO2 are affecting past, present and future of the global climate. The biological production of the oceans by photosynthetic fixation of dissolved CO2, as well as the related air/sea exchanges of CO2, are forcings of the abundance of CO2 in the atmosphere. The Southern Ocean plays a major role in the redistribution of CO2 between atmospheric and oceanic reservoirs. The Southern Ocean is unusual as it exhibits plenty essential nutrients nitrate, phosphate and silicate in surface water but somehow the photosynthetic CO2 fixation and plant biomass is low. It is the largest High Nutrients Low Chlorophyll (HNLC) region of the global ocean. Several independent models of the carbon cycle suggest that whatever limits the uptake of the classical nutrients in the Southern Ocean has a an over-riding influence on atmospheric carbon dioxide. From recent joint studies of several partners it is now becoming apparent that inadequate supply of the essential trace metal iron in combination with poor light conditions preventing large diatoms to bloom and sequester CO2 into the deep sea.
Thus the overall objective could be formulated in one hypothesis to be tested:
"The carbon dioxide uptake by the Southern Ocean is being dominated by synergistics of light and iron regulating the photosynthetic CO2 fixation of large diatoms and carbon export into deeper waters."
For unraveling the physical forcings (light, wind, mixing) and chemical and biological processes which together control the CO2 budget in the surface ocean a carefully designed combination of four lines of observation approach and their integration by modeling was proposed:
1) To assess on a large scale the role of the biological pump versus physical processes (upwelling, advection) with the use of transient tracers (CFC, 3He/4He, Tritium) and the purpose to obtain and understand air-sea fluxes and deep mixing and transport of CO2.
2) To unravel and understand the physiology of some key Antarctic bloom-forming diatoms (e.g. Corethron criophilum, Fragilariopsis kerguelensis, Chaetoceros) with focus on the iron-light synergistics and the carbon metabolism.
3) To assess the sources of supply of the limiting trace nutrient iron to Antarctic surface waters with the use of natural isotopic tracer techniques (228Ra and '43Nd/'44Nd).
4) To assess the effect of an artificial in situ iron fertilization on the Antarctic ecosystem and on carbon fluxes, with the use of chemical labeling techniques, in the context of a larger survey of rate and state variables.
5) To integrate the results of our, and previous,
investigations in an existing mechanistic ecosystem and elemental
budget (C, N, Fe, Si) model for obtaining and understanding
the climatic sensitivity of above processes.
The findings of CARUSO greatly improved our knowledge of the
regulation of atmospheric CO2 and climate in present and past.
This is necessary towards better reliability of predictive
scenarios of climatic change, with the aim to advice policy
makers within the EU and worldwide on the conceivable risks
of continuing anthropogenic CO2 emissions.
Complementary resources about this scientific project
Project team
Coordinator: Hein Jw De Baar, Netherlands Institute For Sea Research
Involved research group:
Christiane Lancelot
Universite Libre de Bruxelles
Ecologie des Systèmes aquatiques
221,Boulevard du Triomphe 221
1050
Brussels
Belgium
Tel: +32-2-650 59 88/89
Fax: +32-2-650 59 93
lancelot@ulb.ac.be
Rutgers Van Der Loeftt, Marcus Michael
Alfred-Wegener-Institut für Polar- und Meeresforschung
Abteilung Geologie und Geophysik
12,Am Handelshaven
27515
Bremerhaven
Deutschland
Tel: +49-471-4831510
Fax: +49-471-4831425
loeff@awi-bremerhaven.de
Richard Bellerby,
NERC Centre of Coastal and Marine Sciences
Plymouth Marine Laboratory
Prospect Place
West Hoe
PL1 3DH
Plymouth
United Kingdom
Tel: +44-1752-633439
Fax: +44-1752-633101
rgjb@unixb.nerc.pml.ac.uk
www.pml.ac.uk
Wolfgang Roether,
Universitaet Bremen
Department 1 : Physics / Electrical Engineering
Otto-Hahn-Allee
28334
Bremen
Deutschland
Tel: +49-421-2187018
Fax: +49-421-2187018
wroether@phys uni.bremen.de
Watson, Andrew
University Of East Anglia
School Of Environmental Sciences
University Plain
Nr4 7tj
Norwich
United Kingdom
Tel: +44-1603-593761
Fax: +44-1603-507719
A.J Watson@uea.ac.uk
Gieskes, Winfried
University Of Groningen
Biological Centre
30,Kerklaan 30
9751 Nn
Haren Gn
Nederland
Tel: +31-50-3632241
Fax: +31-50-3635205
w.w.c.gieskes@biol.rug.nl