Irminger Sea deep convection injects oxygen and anthropogenic carbon to the ocean interior.

ABSTRACT: Deep convection in the subpolar North Atlantic ventilates the ocean for atmospheric gases through the formation of deep water masses. Variability in the intensity of deep convection is believed to have caused large variations in North Atlantic anthropogenic carbon storage over the past decades, but observations of the properties during active convection are missing. Here we document the origin, extent and chemical properties of the deepest winter mixed layers directly observed in the Irminger Sea. As a result of the deep convection in winter 2014-2015, driven by large oceanic heat loss, mid-depth oxygen concentrations were replenished and anthropogenic carbon storage rates almost tripled compared with Irminger Sea hydrographic section data in 1997 and 2003. Our observations provide unequiv

SUBMITTER: Frob F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5095284 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature