Analysis of Ocean Acidification in the Pacific Ocean Based on the Data-driven Evaluation of the Air-sea Carbon Dioxide Flux

Abstract

The ocean absorbs about 1/3 of the anthropogenic CO 2 released to the atmosphere. As more CO 2 accumulates in the ocean, the oceanic pH decreases, leading to ocean acidification. In order to better understand the carbon cycle in the ocean and associated long-term pH variation, we estimate CO 2 exchange flux at the sea surface in the Pacific Ocean with the empirical method proposed by Sugimoto et al. (2012) exploiting the publically available oceanic dataset. The oceanic CO 2 , the air-sea CO 2 flux, and pH are successfully evaluated for the Pacific Ocean from 1985 through 2008. The pH and CO 2 absorption relation is then argued along with climatological influences during the ENSO events.