Description: One particular task of marine ecosystem models is to simulate the biogenic transformation of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) into organic matter and hence to quantify the export of particulate organic carbon (POC) to deep oceanic layers. To date, environmental changes, such as increasing carbon dioxide concentrations (pCO_2) and temperature, are perceived to have an impact on the formation of organic carbon. However, well established nitrogen or phosphorus based ecosystem models are insensitive to variations in the carbonate system. In order to investigate biological responses to pCO_2 variations, ecosystem models need to distinguish between carbon, nitrogen, and/or phosphorus cycles. We present a simple biological model which decouples carbon from nitrogen fluxes such that carbon found in transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) is additionally accounted for. The model regards phytoplankton acclimation to varying environmental conditions, having included parameterizations for phytoplankton growth as proposed by Geider et al.~(1998, L&O). By means of data assimilation, an optimal parameter set is determined, which brings model results into agreement with experimental data. From the optimised model results it is infered that about 50% of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) exuded by phytoplankton is subsequently transformed into TEP, eventually influencing the amount of POC available for the export flux. Model sensitivity studies are performed at local sites and along a latitudinal transect (30^oN-60^oN at 19^oW) in the North Atlantic. As soon as CO_2 limitation for phytoplankton growth is explicitely considered in the model, the formation of POC shows great sensitivity to pCO_2 variations. Temperature variations alter remineralisation rates and growth efficiencies. With the current model version dependencies between biomass accumulation, the date of nutrient depletion to occur, and the exudation of organic compounds are acquired.

Description: The ocean takes up a large fraction of the pertubation C02 that enters the atmosphere by human activity. A realistic representation of this uptake in numerical models is essential for future climate studies. Uptake of C02 or other atmospheric trace gases is strongly influenced by oceanic physical variability at spatial scales between 20 and 100 km. Our main goal is to study the effect of this mesoscale variability on the cumulative uptake of anthropogenic C02 and chlorofluorocarbons using an existing model of the ocean circulation in the Atlantic that resolves a significant part of that variability explicitly because of its grid spacing of about 20 km. Results are compared with simulated trace gas distribution obtained from a model with coarser resolution.

Description: The influence of the overturning circulation on the anthropogenic carbon sink in the North Atlantic is investigated with a simple box model. The net air-sea flux of anthropogenic carbon in the North Atlantic is the result of two opposing fluxes: The first is the uptake caused by the disequilibrium between the rapidly rising atmospheric pCO2 and the dissolved carbon content in the ocean, depending mainly on the water exchange rate between mixed layer and interior North Atlantic ocean. Superimposed is a second flux, related to the northward transport of heat within the Atlantic basin, that is directed out of the ocean, contrary to conventional wisdom. It is caused by a latitudinal gradient in the ratio of seawater alkalinity to total dissolved inorganic carbon that in turn is related to the cooling and freshening of surface water on its way north. This flux depends strongly on the vertical structure of the upper branch of the overturning circulation and on the distribution of undersaturation and supersaturation of CO2 in Atlantic surface waters. A data-based estimate of anthropogenic carbon inventory in the North Atlantic is consistent with a dominance of the disequilibrium flux over the heat-flux-related outgassing at the present time, but, in our model, does not place a strong constraint on the net anthropogenic air-sea flux. Stabilization of the atmospheric pCO2 on a higher level will change the relative role of the two opposing fluxes, making the North Atlantic a source of anthropogenic carbon to the atmosphere. We discuss implications for the interpretation of numerical carbon cycle models.

Description: The influence of the overturning circulation on the anthropogenic carbonsink in the North Atlantic is investigated with a simple box model.The net air-sea flux of anthropogenic carbon inthe North Atlantic is the result of two opposing fluxes:The first is the uptake caused by the disequilibriumbetween the rapidly rising atmospheric pCO2and the dissolved carbon content in the ocean, depending mainly onthe water exchange rate between mixed layer and interior North Atlantic ocean.Superimposed is a second flux, related to the northwardtransport of heat within the Atlantic basin, that is directed out of theocean, contrary to conventional wisdom. It is caused by a latitudinalgradient in the ratio of seawater alkalinity to totaldissolved inorganic carbon that in turnis related to the cooling and freshening of surface water on its waynorth. This flux depends strongly on the verticalstructure of the upper branch of the overturningcirculation and on the distribution of under- andsuper-saturation of CO2 in Atlantic surface waters.A data-based estimate of anthropogenic carboninventory in the North Atlantic is consistent with a dominance of thedisequilibrium flux over the heat-flux-related outgassing at thepresent time, but, in our model, does not place astrong constraint on the net anthropogenic air-sea flux.Stabilization of the atmospheric pCO2 on a higher levelwill change the relative role of the two opposing fluxes, making the NorthAtlantic a source of anthropogenic carbon to the atmosphere.We discuss implications for the interpretation ofnumerical carbon cycle models.