Sarah Woods
October, 30 - 2007
Oct. 30, 2007
Amundsen Gulf, Arctic Ocean Canada
Sarah Woods
As a member of the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science and a member of CFL’s Team #6. I’m excited to be onboard the Amunden as it gives me the opportunity to collect the data needed to further my research on Climate Change related issues.
In order to better understand the effect humans may have on climate change, many scientists have been seeking to track anthropogenic emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2). It is known that the oceans are a significant destination for approximately a third of the annual emissions, but this percentage varies with geographic location and season due to variability of the parameters that drive the exchange at the air-sea interface. Conditions such as the biological productivity, temperature and salinity of the water, temperature of the air, wind speed, breaking waves and bubbles, and of course concentrations of CO2 in the air and in the water are some of the factors affecting the exchange. Since direct measurement are often conducted from ships at specific times and locations, it is difficult to assess the annual CO2 flux over large geographic areas. In order to quantify this flux on a global scale, it is helpful to estimate the exchange from parameters that are readily measured with orbiting remote sensors.
A part of the uncertainty in the estimates of oceanic CO2 uptake is due to how the exchange calculation is formulated. These formulations can be improved by comparing shipboard measurements and satellite-derived estimates. However, this comparison has seldom been made in polar regions. Onboard the Amundsen, we have a flux tower that measures parameters such as temperature, humidity, CO2 concentration, and wind speed.
We also measure the concentration of CO2 in the water, and from these measurements, we are able to calculate the air-sea exchange of CO2 along the ship track.
By relating these measurements to concurrent, remotely-sensed estimates of wave slope, we can extrapolate over time and space. This is why we are measuring wave slope directly from the ship by extending a set of laser altimeters over the side. These measurements are timed to coincide with satellite passes so that we can compare the two estimates. Once the satellite data are properly calibrated, it can be used to estimate CO2 flux over large spatial and temporal scales. This approach will augment our capacity to monitor the uptake of CO2 by arctic waters, thus contributing to the global tracking of this greenhouse gas.
Amundsen Gulf, Arctic Ocean Canada
Sarah Woods
As a member of the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science and a member of CFL’s Team #6. I’m excited to be onboard the Amunden as it gives me the opportunity to collect the data needed to further my research on Climate Change related issues.
In order to better understand the effect humans may have on climate change, many scientists have been seeking to track anthropogenic emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2). It is known that the oceans are a significant destination for approximately a third of the annual emissions, but this percentage varies with geographic location and season due to variability of the parameters that drive the exchange at the air-sea interface. Conditions such as the biological productivity, temperature and salinity of the water, temperature of the air, wind speed, breaking waves and bubbles, and of course concentrations of CO2 in the air and in the water are some of the factors affecting the exchange. Since direct measurement are often conducted from ships at specific times and locations, it is difficult to assess the annual CO2 flux over large geographic areas. In order to quantify this flux on a global scale, it is helpful to estimate the exchange from parameters that are readily measured with orbiting remote sensors.
A part of the uncertainty in the estimates of oceanic CO2 uptake is due to how the exchange calculation is formulated. These formulations can be improved by comparing shipboard measurements and satellite-derived estimates. However, this comparison has seldom been made in polar regions. Onboard the Amundsen, we have a flux tower that measures parameters such as temperature, humidity, CO2 concentration, and wind speed.
We also measure the concentration of CO2 in the water, and from these measurements, we are able to calculate the air-sea exchange of CO2 along the ship track.
By relating these measurements to concurrent, remotely-sensed estimates of wave slope, we can extrapolate over time and space. This is why we are measuring wave slope directly from the ship by extending a set of laser altimeters over the side. These measurements are timed to coincide with satellite passes so that we can compare the two estimates. Once the satellite data are properly calibrated, it can be used to estimate CO2 flux over large spatial and temporal scales. This approach will augment our capacity to monitor the uptake of CO2 by arctic waters, thus contributing to the global tracking of this greenhouse gas.
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