Southern Ocean - carbon source or sink?
In view of increasing carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations in the atmosphere due to anthropogenic emissions, better understanding the oceans role in taking up part of this atmospheric CO2 and thereby mitigating climate impacts has gained great interest. In particular, the Southern Ocean is believed to be a strong sink for atmospheric CO2. However, in situ observations in the region are sparse due to often harsh weather conditions and remoteness of the area. Furthermore, recent measurements from autonomous floats even suggest that the Southern Ocean could act as a source for atmospheric CO2 in certain regions. A novel approach to tackle this issue is the assimilation of observations into a climate model, to investigate the Southern Ocean’s role as a source or sink of CO2 and the dynamics behind it.