Marine Heatwaves Contribute More to Changing Air-Water Exchange of Semi-Volatile Organic Compounds Than Mean Sea Surface Temperature Rise

Abstract

A consequence of global warming, marine heatwaves (MHWs), have destructive effects on local marine ecology. However, few studies have examined their influence on the biogeochemical carbon cycle. Here we show, global warming has changed the air-water exchange of semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), and MHWs contribute more to changing air-water exchange of SVOCs than increases in mean sea surface temperature (SST). Higher temperatures increased the flux of SVOCs exchange from water to air and suppressed the exchange from air to water. As a result, the MHWs lead to a 13.27% decrease for the daily flux of single SVOC and 0.05% decrease for annual flux of total SVOCs. In contrast, the raising of mean SST result of 0.14% decrease for the daily flux of single SVOC, and 0.01% decrease for annual flux of total SVOCs. Moreover, we observed inversion in the direction of SVOCs air-water exchange during some MHWs.