Net sea–air CO<sub>2</sub> flux uncertainties in the Bay of Biscay based on the choice of wind speed products and gas transfer parameterizations
The estimation of sea–air CO<sub>2</sub> fluxes is largely dependent on wind speed through the gas transfer velocity parameterization. In this paper, we quantify uncertainties in the estimation of the CO<sub>2</sub> uptake in the Bay of Biscay resulting from the use of differ...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2013-05-01
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| Series: | Biogeosciences |
| Online Access: | http://www.biogeosciences.net/10/2993/2013/bg-10-2993-2013.pdf |
| Summary: | The estimation of sea–air CO<sub>2</sub> fluxes is largely dependent on wind speed through the gas transfer velocity parameterization. In this paper, we quantify uncertainties in the estimation of the CO<sub>2</sub> uptake in the Bay of Biscay resulting from the use of different sources of wind speed such as three different global reanalysis meteorological models (NCEP/NCAR 1, NCEP/DOE 2 and ERA-Interim), one high-resolution regional forecast model (HIRLAM-AEMet), winds derived under the Cross-Calibrated Multi-Platform (CCMP) project, and QuikSCAT winds in combination with some of the most widely used gas transfer velocity parameterizations. Results show that net CO<sub>2</sub> flux estimations during an entire seasonal cycle (September 2002–September 2003) may vary by a factor of ~ 3 depending on the selected wind speed product and the gas exchange parameterization, with the highest impact due to the last one. The comparison of satellite- and model-derived winds with observations at buoys advises against the systematic overestimation of NCEP-2 and the underestimation of NCEP-1. In the coastal region, the presence of land and the time resolution are the main constraints of QuikSCAT, which turns CCMP and ERA-Interim in the preferred options. |
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| ISSN: | 1726-4170 1726-4189 |