The carbonate system in the Ligurian Sea

Laurent Coppola (1) , Jacqueline Boutin (2) , Jean-Pierre Gattuso (1) , Dominique Lefèvre (3) , Nicolas Metzl (4)

1 LOV - Laboratoire d'océanographie de Villefranche
2 PROTEO - Processus et interactions de fine échelle océanique
3 MIO - Institut méditerranéen d'océanologie
4 CYBIOM - Cycles biogéochimiques marins : processus et perturbations

The study of the oceanic carbonate system is linked to two important environmental issues: ocean CO$_2$ uptake and ocean acidification and its impact on organisms, ecosystems and ecosystem services. This chapter mainly focuses on the seasonal cycles and long‐term trends of the ocean carbonate system based on a synthesis of data collected in the Ligurian Sea from 1998 to 2016. In addition to the effect of potential T (theta) on CO$_2$ solubility, the distribution of dissolved inorganic carbon CT in the water column is driven by the antagonistic effects of the biological carbon pump that increases the vertical gradient of CT (lowering CT at the surface and increasing it in the ocean interior) and the exchange of CO$_2$ at the air–sea interface. The chapter also presents the seasonal cycle of the carbonate system and ancillary variables in the surface water.

Mots clés: seasonal cycle; ocean CO2 uptake; ocean acidification; Ligurian Sea; dissolved inorganic carbon; carbonate system

Domaines: Océan, Atmosphère

Laurent Coppola, Jacqueline Boutin, Jean-Pierre Gattuso, Dominique Lefèvre, Nicolas Metzl. The carbonate system in the Ligurian Sea. Christophe Migon; Paul Nival; Antoine Sciandra. The Mediterranean Sea in the era of global change - 30 years of multidisciplinary study of the Ligurian Sea, 1, Wiley, pp.79-103, 2020, 9781786304285. ⟨10.1002/9781119706960.ch4⟩. ⟨hal-02541817⟩