Anthropogenic carbon changes in the Irminger Basin (1981–2006): Coupling δ13CDIC and DIC observations

Abstract

The North Atlantic subpolar gyre is considered to be one of the strongest marine anthropogenic CO2 sinks, a consequence of extensive deep convection occurring during winter. Observations collected in this region since 1981 have shown large changes in Dissolved Inorganic Carbon (DIC) concentrations in intermediate and deep waters, which have been attributed to both anthropogenic CO2 penetration and natural variability in the ocean carbon cycle (Wanninkhof et al., 2010). In this context, we describe new δ13CDIC observations obtained in the Irminger Basin during two OVIDE cruises (2002 and 2006) which we compare to historical data (TTO-NAS 1981) in order to estimate the oceanic 13C Suess Effect over the more than twenty years that separates these surveys. The data reveal a significant decrease in δ13CDIC, of between − 0.3‰ and − 0.4‰ from 1981 to 2006. The anthropogenic change, extracted by using the extended Multi Linear Regression (eMLR) approach, explains 75% of this signal for oldest water mass and 90% for youngest. The reminding signal is due to the natural processes, such as remineralization and vertical mixing. The eMLR method was also applied to DIC measurements which i) reveal strong relationships between the increase of anthropogenic CO2 and the oceanic 13C Suess Effect over the whole water column during the 25-year period and ii) support the hypothesis of change in the Cant storage rate in the Irminger Basin between 1981 and 2006.