Seasonal and interannual variability of the marine carbonate system at the ice shelf in the eastern Weddell Gyre and its sensitivity to future ocean acidification

Ocean Acidification through the uptake of anthropogenic CO₂ is resulting in a decrease in surface water carbonate ion concentration, a critical compound for marine calcifying organisms (Fabry et al., 2008; Orr et al., 2005). Natural seasonal variability is predicted to hasten the effects of Ocean Acidification in the Southern Ocean, resulting in possible surface water wintertime aragonite (the more soluble form of calcium carbonate) undersaturation (Ωarag< 1) south of the Antarctic Polar Front by the year 2030 (McNeil and Matear, 2008). An Ocean Acidification study was conducted to determine the seasonal and interannual variability in aragonite saturation state (Ωarag) at the Antarctic ice shelf between 4°E and 14°W and in the Eastern Weddell Gyre, during the Austral summers of 2008/2009, 2009/2010, 2010/2011 and 2011/2012. This study shows that at the Antarctic ice shelf andin the Eastern Weddell Gyre (EWG), seasonal summertime phytoplankton blooms were a critical factor in the observed decrease in summer surface water CO 2 and the subsequent increase in summer surface water Ωarag.

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Department of Oceanography

Year dc:date.issued

2012

Author dc:creator

• Weeber, Amy

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Monteiro, Pedro M S
• Waldron, Howard

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11427/9807

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/9807