Factors influencing the degree of saturation of the surface and intermediate waters of the North Pacific ocean with respect to aragonite.

Abstract

New carbonate chemistry data obtained during a 1982 cruise have been combined with earlier GEOSECS and INDOPAC data to determine the degree of aragonite saturation of surface and intermediate waters of the North Pacific. Large gradients in saturation state occur in the region of the Subarctic Front in the north-south direction and across the Subtropical Gyre in the east-west direction. These gradients are primarily due to the extensive mixing that occurs in the intermediate waters of the western North Pacific.-from Authors