Couespel D., Levy Marina, Bopp L. (2024). Stronger oceanic CO2 sink in eddy-resolving simulations of global warming. Geophysical Research Letters, 51 (4), p. e2023GL106172 [12 p.]. ISSN 0094-8276.
Titre du document
Stronger oceanic CO2 sink in eddy-resolving simulations of global warming
Geophysical Research Letters, 2024,
51 (4), p. e2023GL106172 [12 p.] ISSN 0094-8276
Accurately representing the ocean carbon cycle in Earth System Models (ESMs) is essential to understanding the oceanic CO2 sink evolution under CO2 emissions and global warming. A key uncertainty arises from the ESM's inability to explicitly represent mesoscale eddies. To address this limitation, we conduct eddy-resolving experiments of CO2 uptake under global warming in an idealized mid-latitude ocean model. In comparison with similar experiments at coarser resolution, we show that the CO2 sink is 34% larger in the eddy-resolving experiments. 80% of the increase stems from a more efficient anthropogenic CO2 uptake due to a stronger Meridional Overturning circulation (MOC). The remainder results from a weaker reduction in CO2 uptake associated to a weaker MOC decline under global warming. Although being only a fraction of the overall response to climate change, these results emphasize the importance of an accurate representation of small-scale ocean processes to better constrain the CO2 sink.
Plan de classement
Sciences fondamentales / Techniques d'analyse et de recherche [020]
;
Sciences du milieu [021]
;
Limnologie physique / Océanographie physique [032]
