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The Change in Oceanic O2 Inventory Associated with Recent Global WarmingOceans general circulation models predict that global warming may cause a decrease in the oceanic O2 inventory and an associated O2 outgassing. An independent argument is presented here in support of this prediction based on observational evidence of the ocean's biogeochemical response to natural warming. On time scales from seasonal to centennial, natural O2 flux/heat flux ratios are shown to occur in a range of 2 to 10 nmol O2 per Joule of warming, with larger ratios typically occurring at higher latitudes and over longer time scales. The ratios are several times larger than would be expected solely from the effect of heating on the O2 solubility, indicating that most of the O2 exchange is biologically mediated through links between heating and stratification. The change in oceanic O2 inventory through the 1990's is estimated to be 0.3 - 0.4 x 10(exp 14) mol O2 per year based on scaling the observed anomalous long-term ocean warming by natural O2 flux/heating ratios and allowing for uncertainty due to decadal variability. Implications are discussed for carbon budgets based on observed changes in atmospheric O2/N2 ratio and based on observed changes in ocean dissolved inorganic carbon.
Document ID
20020043988
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Preprint (Draft being sent to journal)
Authors
Keeling, Ralph
(Scripps Institution of Oceanography La Jolla, CA United States)
Garcia, Hernan
(Scripps Institution of Oceanography La Jolla, CA United States)
Date Acquired
September 7, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2002
Subject Category
Environment Pollution
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NOAA-NA-77RJ0453A
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAG5-6668
CONTRACT_GRANT: NSF ATM-00-00923
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
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