Browsing by Author "Wu, Yingxu"
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Item The changing CO2 sink in the western Arctic Ocean from 1994 to 2019(Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 2021-12-28) Ouyang, Zhangxian; Li, Yun; Zhong, Wenli; Murata, Akihiko; Nishino, Shigeto; Wu, Yingxu; Jin, Meibing; Kirchman, David; Chen, Liqi; Cai, Wei-JunThe Arctic Ocean has turned from a perennial ice-covered ocean into a seasonally ice-free ocean in recent decades. Such a shift in the air-ice-sea interface has resulted in substantial changes in the Arctic carbon cycle and related biogeochemical processes. To quantitatively evaluate how the oceanic CO2 sink responds to rapid sea ice loss and to provide a mechanistic explanation, here we examined the air-sea CO2 flux and the regional CO2 sink in the western Arctic Ocean from 1994 to 2019 by two complementary approaches: observation-based estimation and a data-driven box model evaluation. The pCO2 observations and model results showed that summer CO2 uptake significantly increased by about 1.4 ± 0.6 Tg C decade−1 in the Chukchi Sea, primarily due to a longer ice-free period, a larger open area, and an increased primary production. However, no statistically significant increase in CO2 sink was found in the Canada Basin and the Beaufort Sea based on both observations and modeled results. The reduced sea ice coverage in summer in the Canada Basin and the enhanced wind speed in the Beaufort Sea potentially promoted CO2 uptake, which was, however, counteracted by a rapidly decreased air-sea pCO2 gradient therein. Therefore, the current and future Arctic Ocean CO2 uptake trends cannot be sufficiently reflected by the air-sea pCO2 gradient alone because of the sea ice variations and other environmental factors.Item Rapid changes in the surface carbonate system under complex mixing schemes across the Bering Sea: a comparative study of a forward voyage in July and a return voyage in September 2018(Frontiers in Marine Science, 2023-05-02) Yang, Wei; Wu, Yingxu; Cai, Wei-Jun; Ouyang, Zhangxian; Zhuang, Yanpei; Chen, Liqi; Qi, DiRegulated by the rapid changes in temperature, mixing, and biological production during warm seasons, the surface carbonate system in the Bering Sea is subject to significant spatial-temporal variability. However, the seasonal evolution of the carbon cycle and its controls are less clear due to the lack of observations. Here, we present the carbonate data collected during a forward voyage in July and a return voyage in September 2018 across the Bering Sea. For both voyages, we show distinct dissolved inorganic carbon versus total alkalinity (DIC-TA) relationships and partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) distribution patterns in the Southern Basin (54-57°N), the Northern Basin (57-59°N), the Slope (59-61°N), the Shelf (61-64°N), and the Bering Strait (>64°N). In the Southern Basin, the Northern Basin, and the Slope, surface water was a two end-member mixing of Rainwater and Bering Summer Water (BSW) during the forward voyage and a two end-member mixing of North Pacific Surface Water (NPSW) and BSW during the return voyage. As a result, the observed DIC was almost consistent with the conservative mixing line, with a slight DIC addition/removal of -8.6~5.8 µmol kg-1, suggesting low biological production/respiration during both voyages. Seasonally, the higher factions of NPSW featuring low pCO2 during the return voyage dominated the pCO2 drawdown from July to September in the Southern Basin and the Slope. On the Shelf, the surface water was a two end-member mixing of plume water from the Anadyr River and BSW during both voyages, but the decreased DIC consumption via biological production from 59.9 ± 25.8 µmol kg-1 to 34.8 ± 14.0 µmol kg-1 contributed to the pCO2 increase from July to September. In the Bering Strait, the coastal area was characterized by the influence of plume water from the Anadyr River in July and the coastal upwelling in September. The high biological production in plume water made a strong CO2 sink during the forward voyage, while the upwelling of carbon-enriched subsurface water with minor DIC consumption made the coastal ecosystem a strong CO2 source during the return voyage. In different geographical regions, the observed seawater pCO2 was much lower than the overlying atmospheric CO2, resulting in a net CO2 sink with fluxes of -2.1~-14.0 mmol m-2 d-1 and -2.5~-11.6 mmol m-2 d-1, respectively, during the forward and return voyages. Highlights 1. The mixing of NPSW featuring low pCO2 dominated the pCO2 drawdown from July to September in the Southern Basin and the Slope. 2. pCO2 in the Bering Strait was dominated by the strong biological production in July and the coastal upwelling in September. 3. High DIC consumption via biological production made the Bering Shelf a strong CO2 sink during both voyages.Item Sea-ice loss accelerates carbon cycling and enhances seasonal extremes of acidification in the Arctic Chukchi Sea(Limnology and Oceanography Letters, 2024-02-05) Zhang, Yixing; Wu, Yingxu; Cai, Wei-Jun; Yi, Xiangqi; Gao, Xiang; Bi, Haibo; Zhuang, Yanpei; Chen, Liqi; Qi, DiThe Chukchi Sea shelf (CSS) is a highly productive region in the Arctic Ocean and it is highly efficient for absorbing atmospheric carbon dioxide and exporting and retaining carbon in the deep sea. However, with global warming, the carbon retention time in CSS may decrease, leading to less efficient carbon export. Here, we investigate the seasonal variability of carbonate chemistry in CSS using three sets of late- vs. early-summer reoccupations of the same transect. Our findings demonstrate substantially increased and rapid degradation of biologically produced organic matter and therefore acidification over time in the southern CSS due to earlier sea-ice retreat, resulting in significantly shorter carbon retention time. In sharp contrast, no increased degradation has been observed in the northern CSS where photosynthesis has just commenced. In the future, climate change would further diminish the carbon export capacity and exacerbate seasonal acidification not only within CSS but also across other polar coastal oceans. Scientific Significance Statement The Arctic Chukchi Sea shelf (CSS) is a prominent site for the biological drawdown of atmospheric carbon dioxide, which can subsequently be transported to the deep sea in the Arctic Ocean. The efficiency of carbon export is influenced by seasonal sea-ice formation and retreat: longer period of sea-ice opening results in shorter carbon retention time and reduced carbon export due to rapid recycling of organic matter. However, this process is poorly understood due to lack of observations. Here, we present three sets of late- vs. early-summer reoccupations along the same transect in the CSS. We unveil distinct spatial patterns of carbonate chemistry and subsurface acidification between the southern CSS and northern CSS. In the sCSS, degradation of biologically produced organic matter has occurred rapidly and caused subsurface acidification since early summer due to earlier sea-ice retreat; however, no such phenomenon is observed in the northern region. As Arctic warming continues in the future, these conditions are expected to persist, further diminishing carbon export capacity and exacerbating seasonal acidification.Item The impact of sea ice melt on the evolution of surface pCO2 in a polar ocean basin(Frontiers in Marine Science, 2024-02-07) Yang, Wei; Zhao, Yu; Wu, Yingxu; Chen, Zijie; Gao, Xiang; Lin, Hongmei; Ouyang, Zhangxian; Cai, Weijun; Chen, Liqi; Qi, DiThe strong CO2 sink in Arctic Ocean plays a significant role in the global carbon budget. As a high-latitude oceanic ecosystem, the features of sea surface pCO2 and air-sea CO2 flux are significantly influenced by sea ice melt; however, our understanding of pCO2 evolution during sea ice melt remains limited. In this study, we investigate the dynamics of pCO2 during the progression of sea ice melt in the western Arctic Ocean based on data from two cruises conducted in 2010 and 2012. Our findings reveal substantial spatiotemporal variability in surface pCO2 on the Chukchi Sea shelf and Canada Basin, with a boundary along the shelf breaks at depths of 250-500 m isobaths. On the Chukchi Sea shelf, strong biological consumption dominates pCO2 variability. Moreover, in Canada Basin, the pCO2 dynamics are modulated by various processes. During the active sea ice melt stage before sea ice concentration decreases to 15%, biological production through photosynthetic processes and dilution of ice melt water lead to a reduction in DIC concentration and subsequent decline in pCO2. Further, these effects are counteracted by the air-sea CO2 exchange at the sea surface which tends to increase seawater DIC and subsequently elevate surface pCO2. Compared to the pCO2 reduction resulting from biological production and dilution effects, the contribution of air-sea CO2 exchange is significantly lower. The combined effects of these factors have a significant impact on reducing pCO2 during this stage. Conversely, during the post sea ice melt stage, an increase in pCO2 resulting from high temperatures and air-sea CO2 exchange outweighs its decrease caused by biological production. Their combined effects result in a prevailing increase in sea surface pCO2. We argue that enhanced air-sea CO2 uptake under high wind speeds also contributes to the high sea surface pCO2 observed in 2012, during both active sea ice melt stage and post sea ice melt stage. The present study reports, for the first time, the carbonate dynamics and pCO2 controlling processes during the active sea ice melt stage. These findings have implications for accurate estimation of air-sea CO2 fluxes and improved modeling simulations within the Arctic Ocean. Highlights ● The decrease in DIC resulting from biological production and dilution of ice melt water tends to reduce pCO2 during the active sea ice melt stage in Canada Basin, although it is counteracted by CO2 uptake at the air-sea interface. ● The increase in pCO2 resulting from high temperatures and air-sea CO2 exchange outweighs its decrease caused by biological production, leading to elevated sea surface pCO2 during the post sea ice melt stage in Canada Basin. ● The enhanced air-sea CO2 uptake under high wind speeds also contributes to the high sea surface pCO2 observed in 2012, during both active sea ice melt stage and post sea ice melt stage.