The effect of changes in iron supply to the ocean on
CO2 uptake is examined. Dust deposition fields from a dust model
driven by output from a future climate simulation of a coupled general
circulation model (GCM) were used as input to an ocean GCM with an embedded
ecosystem model. In simulations using dust produced in a future climate the
primary productivity of the ocean increased by 56% compared to simulations
using dust from the present climate. The sinking particle flux of carbon at 100
m depth increased by 46%. The net air-to-sea flux of CO2 was 4.1
PgC/y greater in the future dust simulation. Most of these changes occurred in
the Equatorial Pacific Ocean, where the model ecosystem was iron-limited with
present-day dust inputs but which received a large increase in the dust
supplied from the Amazon
Basin. These
perturbations to the marine biogeochemical system are large compared to other
potential climate effects that have been observed in the model. Although these
results are preliminary, they could form a large negative feedback on global
warming.
Author: I.J. Totterdell, J. Gunson and S. Woodward (ian dot totterdell at metoffice dot gov dot uk)
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