Springtime CO2 exchange over seasonal sea ice in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago

Abstract

Springtime measurements of CO2 exchange over seasonal sea ice in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago using eddy covariance show that CO2 was generally released to the atmosphere during the cold (ice surface temperatures less than about -6°C) early part of the season, but was absorbed from the atmosphere as warming advanced. Hourly maximum efflux and uptake rates approached 1.0 and -3.0 μmol m-2 s-1, respectively. These CO2 flux rates are far greater than previously reported over sea ice and are comparable in magnitude to exchanges observed within other systems (terrestrial and marine). Uptake generally occurred for wind speeds in excess of 6 ms-1 and corresponded to local maxima in temperature at the snow-ice interface and net radiation. Efflux, on the other hand, occurred under weaker wind speeds and periods of local minima in temperature and net radiation. The wind speeds associated with uptake are above a critical threshold for drifting and blowing snow, suggesting that ventilation of the snowpack and turbulent exchange with the brine-wetted grains are an important part of the process. Both the uptake and release fluxes may be at least partially driven by the temperature sensitivity of the carbonate system speciation in the brine-wetted snow base and upper sea ice. The period of maximum springtime CO2 uptake occurred as the sea-ice permeability increased, passing a critical threshold allowing vertical brine movement throughout the sea-ice sheet. At this point, atmospheric CO2 would have been available to the under-ice sea-water carbonate system, with ramifications for carbon cycling in sea-ice-dominated polar waters.