Inorganic carbon behaviour in the North Atlantic Ocean

The North Atlantic ocean exerts a considerable influence on the global climate system. The area is a known sink for carbon dioxide as well as a place where deep water formation takes place due to net heat loss to the atmosphere. The wind driven gyre circulation transports surface waters to the north, the regions where deep water formation due to cooling takes place. Subsequently the deep waters flow southward into the basins of all oceans, thus compensating the gross northward transport. An accurate understanding of the carbon uptake by surface waters as well as its transport by deep ocean circulation are essential in order to quantify the role of the northern North Atlantic in the global carbon budget. ... Zie: Summar