Resolved tropical cyclones trigger CO₂ uptake and phytoplankton bloom in an Earth system model simulation.

ABSTRACT: The ocean carbon cycle is directly impacted by storms in the atmosphere. Tropical cyclones (TCs), particularly, are known to drive intense air-sea CO₂ fluxes and to trigger phytoplankton blooms. However, the current generation of Earth system models (ESM) cannot realistically represent TCs due to their coarse spatial resolution (typically 100 to 200 km grid spacing). Here, we present a km-scale coupled, global, storm- and eddy-resolving (5 km ocean, 5 km atmosphere) ESM simulation including ocean biogeochemistry that is able to resolve TCs, and the cascade of physical-biogeochemical mechanisms that unfold in their response. Our simulated TCs enhance CO₂ fluxes by 20 to 40 times and cool the surface ocean by 2 to 3 ^°C, thus contributing to inverting the CO

SUBMITTER: Nielsen DM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12718355 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature