Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-mp689 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-23T11:33:38.660Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Modeling the Carbon System

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

Wallace S Broecker ,
Tsung-Hung Peng  and
Richard Engh
Wallace S Broecker
Affiliation:
Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory and the Department of Geological Sciences, Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10964
Tsung-Hung Peng
Affiliation:
Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory and the Department of Geological Sciences, Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10964
Richard Engh
Affiliation:
Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory and the Department of Geological Sciences, Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10964
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Claims that forest cutting during the last few decades has contributed significantly to the buildup in atmospheric CO2 have cast doubt on the validity of models used to estimate CO2 uptake by the ocean. In this paper we review the existing models and conclude that the box-diffusion model of Oeschger and his co-workers provides an excellent fit to the average distributions of natural and bomb-produced radiocarbon. We also take the first steps toward a more detailed ocean model which takes into account upwelling in the equatorial zone and deep water formation in the polar zone. The model is calibrated using the distribution of bomb-produced and cosmic ray-produced radiocarbon in the ocean. Preliminary calculations indicate that the fossil fuel CO2 uptake by this model will be greater than that by the box-diffusion model of Oeschger and others (1975) but not great enough to accommodate a significant decline in the mass of the terrestrial biosphere over the past two decades.

Type
Oceanography
Information
Radiocarbon , Volume 22 , Issue 3: Heidelberg , 1980 , pp. 565 - 598
Copyright
Copyright © The American Journal of Science

Footnotes

*

Participant in undergraduate Summer Institute on Planets and Climate at NASA/GISS and Columbia University; current address Augustana College, South Dakota

References

Adams, J A S, Montovani, M S M, and Sundell, L L, 1977, Wood versus fossil fuel as a source of excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere: a preliminary report: Science, v 196, p 54–56.Google Scholar
Baes, C F, Goeller, H E, Olsen, J S, and Rotty, R M, 1976, The global carbon dioxide problem: Oak Ridge Natl Lab ORNL 5191, p 1–78.Google Scholar
Bolin, B, 1977, Changes of land biota and their importance for the carbon cycle: Science, v 196, p 613–615.Google Scholar
Broecker, W S, 1979, A revised estimate for the radiocarbon age of North Atlantic Deep Water: Jour Geophys Research, v 84, p 3218–3226.Google Scholar
Broecker, W S, Peng, T-H, and Stuiver, Minze, 1978, An estimate of the upwelling rate in the equatorial Atlantic based on the distribution of bomb radiocarbon: Jour Geophys Research, v 83, p 6179–6186.Google Scholar
Broecker, W S, Peng, T-H, and Takahashi, T, in press, A strategy for the use of bomb-produced radiocarbon as a tracer for the transport of fossil fuel CO2 into the deep sea source regions: Earth Planetary Sci Letters, in press.Google Scholar
Broecker, W S, Takahashi, T, Simpson, H J, and Peng, T-H, 1979, Fate of fossil fuel carbon dioxide and the global carbon budget: Science, v 206, p 409–418.Google Scholar
Broecker, W S, Takahashi, T, Simpson, H J, and Peng, T-H in press, The fate of fossil fuel CO2: Can the global carbon budget be balanced?: Science, in press.Google Scholar
Carmack, E C, 1977, Water characteristics of the Southern Ocean south of the Polar Front, in Angel, M, ed, A voyage of dicovery: New York, Pergamon Press, p 15–44.Google Scholar
Craig, Harmon, 1957, The natural distribution of radiocarbon and the exchange there of carbon dioxide between atmosphere and sea: Tellus, v 9, p 1–17.Google Scholar
Dreisigacker, E and Roether, Wolfgang, 1978, Tritium and 90Sr in North Atlantic surface water: Earth Planetary Sci Letters, v 38, p 301–312.Google Scholar
Druffel, E M, 1980, Radiocarbon in annual coral rings of Belize and Florida, in Stuiver, Minze, and Kra, Renee, eds, Internatl radiocarbon conf, 10th, Proc: Radiocarbon, v 22, no. 2, p 363–371.Google Scholar
Druffel, E M and Linick, T W, 1978, Radiocarbon in annual coral rings in Florida: Geophys Research Letters, v 5, p 913–916.Google Scholar
Freyer, H D, 1979, Estimate of the past biospheric CO2 uptake into the atmosphere from 13C tree-ring data: EOS (Am Geophys Union Trans) v 60, p 266.Google Scholar
Freyer, H D in press, On the 13C record in tree rings 13C variations in northern hemispheric trees during CO2 increase: Tellus, in press.Google Scholar
Garrett, C, 1979, Mixing in the ocean interior: Dynamics of Atmospheres and Oceans, v 3, p 239–265.Google Scholar
Gill, A E, 1973, Circulation and bottom water production in the Weddell Sea: Deep Sea Research, v 20, p 111–140.Google Scholar
Gordon, A L, 1975, General ocean circulation, in Reid, R O, ed, Numerical models of ocean circulation: Washington, DC, Natl Acad Sci, p 39–53.Google Scholar
Jenkins, W J and Clark, W B, 1976, The distribution of 3He in the western Atlantic Ocean: Deep Sea Research, v 23, p 481.Google Scholar
Keeling, C D and Bacastow, R C, 1977, Impact of industrial gases on climate, in Energy and climate: Washington, DC, Natl Acad Sci, p 72–95.Google Scholar
Keeling, C D, Bacastow, R C, and Tans, P P, in press, Predicted shift in the 13C/12C ratio of atmospheric carbon dioxide: Geophys Research Letters, in press.Google Scholar
Killworth, P D, 1974, A baroclinic model of motions on Antarctic continental shelves: Deep Sea Research, v 21, p 815–837.Google Scholar
Killworth, P D 1977, Mixing on the Weddell Sea continental slope: Deep Sea Research, v 24, p 427–448.Google Scholar
Machta, L, 1972, The role of the oceans and the biosphere in the CO2 cycle, in Dryssen, D, ed, Changing chemistry of the oceans, Nobel Symposium No. 20, Stockholm.Google Scholar
Nozaki, Y, Rye, D M, Turekian, K K, and Dodge, R E, 1978, A 200-year record of carbon-13 and carbon-14 variations in a Bermuda coral: Geophys Research Letters, v 5, p 825–828.Google Scholar
Nydal, Reidar, Lövseth, Knut, and Gulliksen, Steiner, 1979, A survey of radiocarbon variation in nature since the Test Ban Treaty, in Berger, Rainer and Suess, H E, eds, Radiocarbon dating, Internatl radiocarbon conf, 9th, Proc: Berkeley/Los Angeles, Univ California Press, p 313–323.Google Scholar
Oeschger, Hans, Siegenthaler, Ulrich, Schotterer, Ulrich, and Gugelmann, A, 1975, A box diffusion model to study the carbon dioxide exchange in nature: Tellus, v 27, p 168–192.Google Scholar
Ostlund, H G, Brescher, R, Olsen, R, and Ferguson, M J, 1978, Tritium laboratory report #8, GEOSECS Pacific radiocarbon and tritium results: Univ Miami, RSMAS, Miami, Florida.Google Scholar
Ostlund, H G, Dorsey, H G, and Brescher, R, 1976, Tritium laboratory data report #5, GEOSECS Atlantic radiocarbon and tritium results: Univ Miami, RSMAS, Miami, Florida.Google Scholar
Peng, T-H, Broecker, W S, Mathieu, G G, and Li, Y-H, 1979, Radon evasion rates in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans as determined during the GEOSECS program: Jour Geophys Research, v 84, p 2471–2486.Google Scholar
Schlesinger, W H, 1977, Carbon balance in terrestrial detritus: Ann Rev Ecol Systems, v 8, p 51–81.Google Scholar
SIPRI Yearbook 1975, 1976, World armament and disarmaments: Stockholm, Almqvist & Wiksell.Google Scholar
Stuiver, Minze, 1978, Atmospheric carbon dioxide and carbon reservoir changes: Science, v 199, p 253–258.Google Scholar
Stuiver, Minze and Quay, P D, 1980, Patterns of atmospheric 14C, in Stuiver, Minze and Kra, Renee, eds, Internatl radiocarbon conf, 10th, Proc: Radiocarbon, v 22, no. 2, p 166–176.Google Scholar
Suess, H E, 1955, Radiocarbon concentration in modern wood: Science, v 122, p 415–417.Google Scholar
Weiss, R F, Ostlund, H G, and Craig, Harmon, 1979, Geochemical studies of the Weddell Sea: Deep-Sea Research, v 26, p 1093–1120.Google Scholar
Weiss, Wolfgang, Roether, Wolfgang, and Dreisigacker, E, 1978, Tritium in the North Atlantic Ocean: inventory, delivery, and transfer into the deep water, in Internatl symposium on the behavoir of tritium in the environment: San Francisco, IAEA-SM-232/98.Google Scholar
Whittaker, R L and Likens, G E, 1975, The biosphere and man, in Lieth, H and Whittaker, R L, eds, Primary productivity of the biosphere, Ecol Study 14: New York, Springer-Verlag, p 305–328.Google Scholar
Wilson, A T, 1978, Pioneer agriculture explosion and CO2 levels in the atmosphere: Nature, v 273, p 40–41.Google Scholar
Wong, C S, 1978a, Atmospheric input of carbon dioxide from burning wood: Science, v 200, p 197–200.Google Scholar
Wong, C S 1978b, Carbon dioxide — a global environmental problem into the future: Marine Pollution Bull, v 9, p 257–264.Google Scholar
Woodwell, G M and Houghton, R A, 1977, Biotic influences on the world carbon budget, in Stumm, W, ed, Global chemical cycles and their alterations by man: Berlin, Dahlem Konferenzen, p 61–72.Google Scholar
Woodwell, G M, Whittaker, R H, Reiners, W A, Likens, G E, Delwiche, C C, and Bodkin, D B, 1978, The biota and the world carbon budget: Science, v 199, p 141–146.Google Scholar
Zander, I and Araskog, R, 1973, Nuclear explosions 1945-1972, basic data: Försvarets Forskningsanstalt, Avd 4 Stockholm, FOA 4, rept 4505-A1, 56 p.Google Scholar