A significant CO₂ sink in the tropical Atlantic Ocean associated with the Amazon River plume

During Meteor cruise 55 a strong undersaturation of surface seawater with respect to atmospheric CO2 was found in the Amazon River plume which is advected into the surface circulation of the tropical Atlantic. A conservative estimate of the plume-related CO2 sink in the tropical Atlantic yields a net air-sea flux of 0.014 ± 0.005 Pg C yr−1. The corresponding average CO2 flux density of 1.35 mmol m−2 d−1 is of similar magnitude but opposite sign as found elsewhere in the slightly supersaturated tropical Atlantic illustrating the significant impact of the Amazon on the biogeochemistry of large ocean areas. The dramatic change of the CO2 saturation state from highly supersaturated river waters to markedly undersaturated surface waters in the plume can be explained by a combination of the effects of CO2 outgassing from river water, of mixing between river and ocean water on the CO2 system properties, and of strong biological carbon drawdown in the plume