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The air-sea CO2 flux in the coastal ocean is a key component of the global carbon budget. However, due to the scarcity of data, the many sources and sinks of carbon and their complex interactions in these waters remain poorly understood. In 2021, the Tara schooner collected 14,000 km of CO2 fugacity (fCO2) measurements along the coast of South America, including in the Amazon River-Ocean continuum (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13790065 , Olivier et al., 2024a). The interactions between the Amazon River and its oceanic plume are complex, and under a combined influence of many processes such as tides and bathymetry. Downstream of the Amazon River plume, the fCO2 is low compared with that of the atmosphere, reaching a minimum of 42 μatm. In the river, fCO2 reaches up to 3000 μatm. South of the estuary, the waters of the North Brazil Current have a fCO2 exceeding 400 μatm. Along the Brazil Current, fCO2 is around 400 μatm and decreases, as does temperature, as the schooner sails away from the equator. Nevertheless, in all the data collected in this coastal environment, salinity varies greatly, and therefore describes best the variability of fCO2. Despite the strong variability and uncertainties in the data, comparison with discrete samples of other carbonate parameters shows that the mean differences (2 µatm) are within the range of uncertainties related to the chemical formula used for the comparison. This data set helps to fill the gap in our knowledge of the behavior of fCO2 in the under-sampled region of the Brazilian coast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The temporal variation of the carbonate system, air–sea CO 2 fluxes, and pH is analyzed in the southern Indian Ocean, south of the polar front, based on in situ data obtained from 1985 to 2021 at a fixed station (50°40 ′ S–68°25 ′ E) and results from a neural network model that reconstructs the fugacity of CO 2 (fCO2) and fluxes at monthly scale. Anthropogenic CO 2 (C ant) is estimated in the water column and is detected down to the bottom (1600 m) in 1985, resulting in an aragonite saturation horizon at 600 m that migrated up to 400 m in 2021 due to the accumulation of C ant. At the subsurface, the trend of C ant is estimated at +0.53±0.01 µ mol kg -1 yr -1 with a detectable increase in the trend in recent years. At the surface during austral winter the oceanic fCO2 increased at a rate close to or slightly lower than in the atmosphere. To the contrary, in summer, we observed contrasting fCO2 and dissolved inorganic carbon (C T) trends depending on the decade and emphasizing the role of biological drivers on air–sea CO 2 fluxes and pH inter-annual variability. The regional air–sea CO 2 fluxes evolved from an annual source to the atmosphere of 0.8 molC m -2 yr -1 in 1985 to a sink of -0.5 molC m -2 yr -1 in 2020. Over 1985–2020, the annual pH trend in surface waters of -0.0165±0.0040 per decade was mainly controlled by the accumulation of anthropogenic CO 2 , but the summer pH trends were modulated by natural processes that reduced the acidification rate in the last decade. Using historical data from November 1962, we estimated the long-term trend for fCO2 , C T , and pH, confirming that the progressive acidification was driven by the atmospheric CO 2 increase. In 59 years this led to a diminution of 11 % for both aragonite and calcite saturation state. As atmospheric CO 2 is expected to increase in the future, the pH and carbonate saturation state will decrease at a faster rate than observed in recent years. A projection of future C T concentrations for a high emission scenario (SSP5-8.5) indicates that the surface pH in 2100 would decrease to 7.32 in winter. This is up to -0.86 lower than pre-industrial pH and -0.71 lower than pH observed in 2020. The aragonite undersaturation in surface waters would be reached as soon as 2050 (scenario SSP5-8.5) and 20 years later for a stabilization scenario (SSP2-4.5) with potential impacts on phytoplankton species and higher trophic levels in the rich ecosystems of the Kerguelen Islands area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the western tropical Atlantic Ocean close to the Amazon plume, a large loss rate of Argo-float profiles took place, that is, instances of profiles that should have happened but were not transmitted. We find that APEX and SOLO floats were not ascending to the surface in the presence of low surface practical salinity, typically on the order of 32.5 or less, because of limitations on the surface buoyancy range for those floats. This results in an overall loss of profiles from these floats that is on the order of 6% averaged over the year, with a peak of 12% in July. We also find aborted descents/incorrect grounding detections for ARVOR/PROVOR floats when surface salinity is low and the descending float reaches a strong halocline (2.6% of all the profiles in the June–August season). Altogether, the whole Argo set includes a maximum loss rate of roughly 6% in July. We find a pattern of loss that fits the surface salinity seasonal cycle and the occurrence of low surface salinity investigated from a high-resolution daily satellite salinity product in 2010–21. The agreement is even better when considering surface density instead of surface salinity, with the temperature contribution to density inducing a shift in the maximum occurrence of these events by 1 month relative to the cycle of very low salinity events. Because of changes in the float technology, the loss rate that targets the lowest surface salinities was very large until 2010, with an overall decrease afterward. Significance Statement: In the western tropical Atlantic Ocean, some Argo floats were not able to ascend or descend with very low surface salinity, because of buoyancy limitations for some float types and false bottom detection on others. In this region, for surface practical salinity smaller than 32.5, this resulted in a loss of close to one-half of the Argo profiles during the last 20 years. Altogether, this undersampling of the lowest surface salinities by Argo floats modifies the upper-ocean salinity seasonal cycle, as well as longer-term trends portrayed in Argo data–based products. Furthermore, in this region, care must be taken when validating satellite salinity data with Argo data or when adjusting satellite sea surface salinity data to in situ data products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The temporal variation of the carbonate system, air-sea CO2 fluxes and pH is analyzed in the Southern Indian Ocean, south of the Polar Front, based on in-situ data obtained from 1985 to 2021 at a fixed station (50°40'S–68°25'E) and results from a neural network model that reconstructs the fugacity of CO2 (fCO2) and fluxes at monthly scale. Anthropogenic CO2 (Cant) was estimated in the water column and detected down to the bottom (1600 m) in 1985 resulting in an aragonite saturation horizon at 600 m that migrated up to 400 m in 2021 due to the accumulation of Cant. In subsurface, the trend of Cant is estimated at +0.53 (±0.01) µmol.kg-1.yr-1 with a detectable increase in recent years. At the surface during austral winter the oceanic fCO2 increased at a rate close or slightly lower than in the atmosphere. To the contrary, in summer, we observed contrasting fCO2 and dissolved inorganic carbon (CT) trends depending on the decade and emphasizing the role of biological drivers on air-sea CO2 fluxes and pH inter-annual variability. The region moved from an annual source of 0.8 molC.m-2.yr-1 in 1985 to a sink of -0.5 molC.m-2.yr-1 in 2020. In 1985–2020, the annual pH trend in surface of -0.0165 (± 0.0040).decade-1 was mainly controlled by anthropogenic CO2 but the trend was modulated by natural processes. Using historical data from November 1962 we estimated the long-term trend for fCO2, CT and pH confirming that the progressive acidification was driven by atmospheric CO2 increase. In 59 years this leads to a diminution of 11 % for both aragonite and calcite saturation state. As atmospheric CO2 will desperately continue rising in the future, the pH and carbonate saturation state will decrease at a faster rate than observed in recent years. A projection of future CT concentrations for a high emission scenario (SSP5-8.5) indicates that the surface pH in 2100 would decrease to 7.32 in winter. This is up to -0.86 lower than pre-industrial pH and -0.71 lower than pH observed in 2020. The aragonite under-saturation in surface waters would be reached as soon as 2050 (scenario SSP5-8.5) and 20 years later for a stabilization scenario (SSP2-4.5) with potential impacts on phytoplankton species and higher trophic levels in the rich ecosystems of the Kerguelen Island area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hydrological cycle is expected to intensify in a warming climate. However, observational evidence of such changes in the Southern Ocean is difficult to obtain due to sparse measurements and a complex superposition of changes in precipitation, sea ice, and glacial meltwater. Here we disentangle these signals using a dataset of salinity and seawater oxygen isotope observations collected in the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean. Our results show that the atmospheric water cycle has intensified in this region between 1993 and 2021, increasing the salinity in subtropical surface waters by 0.06 ± 0.07 g kg−1 per decade, and decreasing the salinity in subpolar surface waters by -0.02 ± 0.01 g kg−1 per decade. The oxygen isotope data allow to discriminate the different freshwater processes showing that in the subpolar region, the freshening is largely driven by the increase in net precipitation (by a factor two) while the decrease in sea ice melt is largely balanced by the contribution of glacial meltwater at these latitudes. These changes extend the growing evidence for an acceleration of the hydrological cycle and a melting cryosphere that can be expected from global warming. Based on concurrent salinity and oxygen isotope observations, the authors find that amplification of the atmospheric water cycle is the main contributor to changes in surface salinity in the Indian Southern Ocean over the past three decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The northwestern Tropical Atlantic Ocean is a turbulent region, filled with mesoscale eddies and regional currents. In this intense dynamical context, several water masses with thermohaline characteristics of different origins are advected, mixed, and stirred at the surface and at depth. The EUREC 4 A-OA/ATOMIC experiment that took place in January and February 2020 was dedicated to assessing the processes at play in this region, especially the interaction between the ocean and the atmosphere. For that reason, four oceanographic vessels and different autonomous platforms measured properties near the air–sea interface and acquired thousands of upper-ocean (up to 400–2000 m depth) profiles. However, each device had its own observing capability, varying from deep measurements acquired during vessel stations to shipboard underway near-surface observations and measurements from autonomous and uncrewed systems (such as Saildrones). These observations were undertaken with a specific sampling strategy guided by near-real-time satellite maps and adapted every half day, based on the process that was investigated. These processes were characterized by different spatiotemporal scales, from mesoscale eddies, with diameters exceeding 100 km, to submesoscale filaments of 1 km width. This article describes the datasets gathered from the different devices and how the data were calibrated and validated. In order to ensure an overall consistency, the platforms' datasets are cross-validated using a hierarchy of instruments defined by their own specificity and calibration procedures. This has enabled the quantification of the uncertainty in the measured parameters when different datasets are used together, e.g., 10.17882/92071. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In early 2020, an international team set out to investigate trade-wind cumulus clouds and their coupling to the large-scale circulation through the field campaign EUREC 4 A: ElUcidating the RolE of Clouds-Circulation Coupling in ClimAte. Focused on the western tropical Atlantic near Barbados, EUREC 4 A deployed a number of innovative observational strategies, including a large network of water isotopic measurements collectively known as EUREC 4 A-iso, to study the tropical shallow convective environment. The goal of the isotopic measurements was to elucidate processes that regulate the hydroclimate state – for example, by identifying moisture sources, quantifying mixing between atmospheric layers, characterizing the microphysics that influence the formation and persistence of clouds and precipitation, and providing an extra constraint in the evaluation of numerical simulations. During the field experiment, researchers deployed seven water vapor isotopic analyzers on two aircraft, on three ships, and at the Barbados Cloud Observatory (BCO). Precipitation was collected for isotopic analysis at the BCO and from aboard four ships. In addition, three ships collected seawater for isotopic analysis. All told, the in situ data span the period 5 January–22 February 2020 and cover the approximate area 6 to 16 ∘ N and 50 to 60 ∘ W, with water vapor isotope ratios measured from a few meters above sea level to the mid-free troposphere and seawater samples spanning the ocean surface to several kilometers depth. This paper describes the full EUREC 4 A isotopic in situ data collection – providing extensive information about sampling strategies and data uncertainties – and also guides readers to complementary remotely sensed water vapor isotope ratios. All field data have been made publicly available even if they are affected by known biases, as is the case for high-altitude aircraft measurements, one of the two BCO ground-based water vapor time series, and select rain and seawater samples from the ships. Publication of these data reflects a desire to promote dialogue around improving water isotope measurement strategies for the future. The remaining, high-quality data create unprecedented opportunities to close water isotopic budgets and evaluate water fluxes and their influence on cloudiness in the trade-wind environment. The full list of dataset DOIs and notes on data quality flags are provided in Table 3 of Sect. 5 ("Data availability"). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The northwestern Tropical Atlantic Ocean is a turbulent region, filled with mesoscale eddies and large-scale currents. In this intense dynamical context, several water masses with thermohaline characteristics of different origins are advected, mixed, and stirred, at the surface and at depth. The EUREC4A-OA/ATOMIC experiment that took place in January and February 2020 was dedicated to assess the processes at play in this region, especially the interaction between the ocean and the atmosphere. For that, four oceanographic vessels and different autonomous platforms measured properties near the air-sea interface and acquired thousands of upper-ocean (400-2000 m) profiles. However, each device had its own observing capability, varying from deep measurements acquired during vessel stations to shipboard underway near-surface observations and measurements from autonomous and uncrewed systems (such as Saildrones). These observations were undertaken with a specific sampling strategy guided by near-real time satellite images and adapted every half day based on the process that was investigated. These processes were characterized by different spatio-temporal scales: from mesoscale eddies, with diameters exceeding 100 km, to submesoscale filaments of 1 km width. This article describes the data sets gathered from the different devices and how the data were calibrated and validated, in order to ensure an overall consistency, the platforms’ datasets are cross-validated using a hierarchy of instruments defined by their own specificity and calibration procedures. This has enabled the quantification of the uncertainty of the measured parameters when the different datasets are used together. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the Chukchi and the Beaufort seas in the Arctic Ocean, where salty and warm Pacific Water flows in through the Bering Strait and interacts with the sea ice, contributing to its summer melt. Thanks to in situ measurements recorded by two saildrones deployed during summer 2019 and to refined sea ice filtering in satellite L‐band radiometric data, we demonstrate the ability of satellite sea surface salinity (SSS) observed by Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity and Soil Moisture Active and Passive to capture SSS freshening induced by sea ice melt. We refer to these freshening events as meltwater lenses (MWL). The largest MWL observed by the saildrones during this period occupied a large part of the Chukchi shelf, with a SSS freshening reaching −5 practical salinity scale, persisting for up to 1 month. This MWL restricted the transfer of air‐sea momentum to the upper ocean, as illustrated by measured wind speed and vertical profiles of currents. With satellite‐based sea surface temperature, satellite SSS provides a monitoring of the different water masses encountered in the region during summer 2019. Using sea ice concentration and estimated Ekman transport, we analyze the spatial variability of sea surface properties after the sea ice edge retreat over the Chukchi and the Beaufort seas. The two MWL captured by the saildrones and the satellite measurements resulted from different dynamics. Over the Beaufort Sea, the MWL evolution followed the meridional sea ice retreat whereas, in the Chukchi Sea, a large persisting MWL was generated by advection and subsequent melting of a sea ice filament. Plain Language Summary: The Arctic Ocean is an area of large variations in salinity. Salinity is a main driver of ocean circulation as it determines (with seawater temperature) the seawater density. However, very little is known about salinity variations there, due to the paucity of measurements near ice and in river plumes where surface water is freshest. Here, we use surface salinity measurements from two autonomous vehicles, named saildrones, to show that satellite measurements can identify the evolution of freshwater lenses that result from sea ice melt. Over the Chukchi and the Beaufort seas, sea surface salinity exhibits large seasonal changes, partly because of the sea ice melting. In this region, water from the North Pacific Ocean enters the Arctic Ocean, resulting in large gradients of salinity and temperature. During summer 2019, the saildrones measured the surface salinity and temperature variability as the sea ice retreated northwards. By comparing these data with the measurements from satellites, we showed that satellites can detect these pools of fresh surface water in the Arctic Ocean, increasing the field of application of satellites to understand changes in conditions that determine the Arctic's role in climate change. Key Points: Saildrones and L‐band radiometers detect large sea surface salinity variability induced by sea ice over the Chukchi and the Beaufort SeaLow surface salinity due to sea ice melting decreases the vertical extent of momentum transfer, inhibiting it beyond 10 m depthMeltwater lenses may persist more than 1 month and reach a surface salinity 5 pss fresher than surrounding waters [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The key processes driving the air–sea CO2 fluxes in the western tropical Atlantic (WTA) in winter are poorly known. WTA is a highly dynamic oceanic region, expected to have a dominant role in the variability in CO2 air–sea fluxes. In early 2020 (February), this region was the site of a large in situ survey and studied in wider context through satellite measurements. The North Brazil Current (NBC) flows northward along the coast of South America, retroflects close to 8 ∘ N and pinches off the world's largest eddies, the NBC rings. The rings are formed to the north of the Amazon River mouth when freshwater discharge is still significant in winter (a time period of relatively low run-off). We show that in February 2020, the region (5–16 ∘ N, 50–59 ∘ W) is a CO2 sink from the atmosphere to the ocean (-1.7 TgC per month), a factor of 10 greater than previously estimated. The spatial distribution of CO2 fugacity is strongly influenced by eddies south of 12 ∘ N. During the campaign, a nutrient-rich freshwater plume from the Amazon River is entrained by a ring from the shelf up to 12 ∘ N leading to high phytoplankton concentration and significant carbon drawdown (∼20 % of the total sink). In trapping equatorial waters, NBC rings are a small source of CO2. The less variable North Atlantic subtropical water extends from 12 ∘ N northward and represents ∼60 % of the total sink due to the lower temperature associated with winter cooling and strong winds. Our results, in identifying the key processes influencing the air–sea CO2 flux in the WTA, highlight the role of eddy interactions with the Amazon River plume. It sheds light on how a lack of data impeded a correct assessment of the flux in the past, as well as on the necessity of taking into account features at meso- and small scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The characteristics of the CISE-LOCEAN seawater isotope dataset (δ18 O, δ2 H, referred to as δ D) are presented (10.17882/71186; Waterisotopes-CISE-LOCEAN, 2021). This dataset covers the time period from 1998 to 2021 and currently includes close to 8000 data entries, all with δ18 O, three-quarters of them also with δ D, associated with a date stamp, space stamp, and usually a salinity measurement. Until 2010, samples were analyzed by isotopic ratio mass spectrometry and since then mostly by cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS). Instrumental uncertainty in this dataset is usually as low as 0.03 ‰ for δ18 O and 0.15 ‰ for δ D. An additional uncertainty is related to the isotopic composition of the in-house standards that are used to convert data to the Vienna Standard Mean Ocean Water (VSMOW) scale. Different comparisons suggest that since 2010 the latter have remained within at most 0.03 ‰ for δ18 O and 0.20 ‰ for δ D. Therefore, combining the two uncertainties suggests a standard deviation of at most 0.05 ‰ for δ18 O and 0.25 ‰ for δ D. For some samples, we find that there has been evaporation during collection and storage, requiring adjustment of the isotopic data produced by CRDS, based on d -excess (δ D - 8×δ18 O). This adjustment adds an uncertainty in the respective data of roughly 0.05 ‰ for δ18 O and 0.10 ‰ for δ D. This issue of conservation of samples is certainly a strong source of quality loss for parts of the database, and "small" effects may have remained undetected. The internal consistency of the database can be tested for subsets of the dataset when time series can be obtained (such as in the southern Indian Ocean or North Atlantic subpolar gyre). These comparisons suggest that the overall uncertainty of the spatially (for a cruise) or temporally (over a year) averaged data is less than 0.03 ‰ for δ18 O and 0.15 ‰ for δ D. However, 18 comparisons with duplicate seawater data analyzed in other laboratories or with other datasets in the intermediate and deep ocean suggest a larger scatter. When averaging the 18 comparisons done for δ18 O, we find a difference of 0.082 ‰ with a standard error of 0.016 ‰. Such an average difference is expected due to the adjustments applied at LOCEAN to saline water data produced either by CRDS or isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS), but the scatter found suggests that care is needed when merging datasets from different laboratories. Examples of time series in the surface North Atlantic subpolar gyre illustrate the temporal changes in water isotope composition that can be detected with a carefully validated dataset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The decadal changes in the fugacity of CO2 (fCO2) and pH in surface waters are investigated in the southern Indian Ocean (45–57 ∘ S) using repeated summer observations, including measurements of fCO2 , total alkalinity (AT) and total carbon (CT) collected over the period 1998–2019 in the frame of the French monitoring programme OISO (Océan Indien Service d'Observation). We used three datasets (underway fCO2 , underway AT – CT and station AT – CT) to evaluate the trends of fCO2 and pH and their drivers, including the accumulation of anthropogenic CO2 (Cant). The study region is separated into six domains based on the frontal system and biogeochemical characteristics: (i) high-nutrient low-chlorophyll (HNLC) waters in the polar front zone (PFZ) and (ii) north part and (iii) south part of HNLC waters south of the polar front (PF), as well as the highly productive zones in fertilised waters near (iv) Crozet Island and (v) north and (vi) south of Kerguelen Island. Almost everywhere, we obtained similar trends in surface fCO2 and pH using the fCO2 or AT – CT datasets. Over the period 1998–2019, we observed an increase in surface fCO2 and a decrease in pH ranging from + 1.0 to + 4.0 µ atm yr -1 and from - 0.0015 to - 0.0043 yr-1 , respectively. South of the PF, the fCO2 trend is close to the atmospheric CO2 rise (+ 2.0 µ atm yr -1), and the decrease in pH is in the range of the mean trend for the global ocean (around - 0.0020 yr-1); these trends are driven by the warming of surface waters (up to + 0.04 ∘ C yr -1) and the increase in CT mainly due to the accumulation of Cant (around + 0.6 µ mol kg -1 yr -1). In the PFZ, our data show slower fCO2 and pH trends (around + 1.3 µ atm yr -1 and - 0.0013 yr-1 , respectively) associated with an increase in AT (around + 0.4 µ mol kg -1 yr -1) that limited the impact of a more rapid accumulation of Cant north of the PF (up to + 1.1 µ mol kg -1 yr -1). In the fertilised waters near Crozet and Kerguelen islands, fCO2 increased and pH decreased faster than in the other domains, between + 2.2 and + 4.0 µ atm yr -1 and between - 0.0023 and - 0.0043 yr-1. The fastest trends of fCO2 and pH are found around Kerguelen Island north and south of the PF. These trends result from both a significant warming (up to + 0.07 ∘ C yr -1) and a rapid increase in CT (up to + 1.4 µ mol kg -1 yr -1) mainly explained by the uptake of Cant. Our data also show rapid changes in short periods and a relative stability of both fCO2 and pH in recent years at several locations both north and south of the PF, which leaves many open questions, notably the tipping point for the saturation state of carbonate minerals that remains highly uncertain. This highlights the need to maintain observations in the long-term in order to explore how the carbonate system will evolve in this region in the next decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Validation of satellite sea surface salinity (SSS) products is typically based on comparisons with in-situ measurements at a few meters' depth, which are mostly done at a single location and time. The difference in term of spatio-temporal resolution between the in-situ near-surface salinity and the two-dimensional satellite SSS results in a sampling mismatch uncertainty. The Climate Change Initiative (CCI) project has merged SSS from three satellite missions. Using an optimal interpolation, weekly and monthly SSS and their uncertainties are estimated at a 50 km spatial resolution over the global ocean. Over the 2016–2018 period, the mean uncertainty on weekly CCI SSS is 0.13, whereas the standard deviation of weekly CCI minus in-situ Argo salinities is 0.24. Using SSS from a high-resolution model reanalysis, we estimate the expected uncertainty due to the CCI versus Argo sampling mismatch. Most of the largest spatial variability of the satellite minus Argo salinity is observed in regions with large estimated sampling mismatch. A quantitative validation is performed by considering the statistical distribution of the CCI minus Argo salinity normalized by the sampling and retrieval uncertainties. This quantity should follow a Gaussian distribution with a standard deviation of 1, if all uncertainty contributions are properly taken into account. We find that (1) the observed differences between Argo and CCI data in dynamical regions (river plumes, fronts) are mainly due to the sampling mismatch; (2) overall, the uncertainties are well estimated in CCI version 3, much improved compared to CCI version 2. There are a few dynamical regions where discrepancies remain and where the satellite SSS, their associated uncertainties and the sampling mismatch estimates should be further validated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The characteristics of the CISE-LOCEAN sea water isotope data set (δ18O, δ²H, later designed as δD) are presented. This data set covers the time period from 1998 to 2021 and currently includes close to 8000 data entries, all with δ18O, three quarters of them also with δD, associated with a time and space stamp and usually a salinity measurement. Until 2010, samples were analysed by isotopic ratio mass spectrometry, and since then mostly by cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS). Instrumental uncertainty on individual data in this dataset is usually with a standard deviation as low as 0.03 / 0.15 ‰ for δ18O and δD. An additional uncertainty is related to uncertain isotopic composition of the in-house standards that are used to convert daily data into the VSMOW scale. Different comparisons suggest that since 2010 the latter have remained within at most 0.03 / 0.20 ‰ for δ18O and δD. Therefore, combining the two suggests a standard deviation of at most 0.05 / 0.25 ‰ for δ18O / δD. Finally, for some samples, we find that there has been evaporation during collection and storage, requiring adjustment of the isotopic data produced by CRDS, based on d-excess. This adds an uncertainty on the adjusted data of roughly 0.05 / 0.10 ‰ on δ18O and δD. This issue of conservation of samples is certainly a strong source of quality loss for parts of the database, and 'small' effects may have remained undetected. The internal consistency of the database can be tested for subsets of the dataset, when time series can be obtained (such as in the southern Indian Ocean or North Atlantic subpolar gyre). These comparisons suggest that the overall uncertainty of the spatially (for a cruise) or temporally (over a year) averaged data is on the order of or less than 0.03 / 0.15 ‰ for δ18O / δD. On the other hand, 17 comparisons with duplicate sea water data analysed in other laboratories or with other data sets in deep regions suggest a larger scatter. When averaging the 17 comparisons done for δ18O, we find a difference close to the adjustment applied at LOCEAN to convert salty water data from the activity to the concentration scale. Such a difference is expected, but the scatter found suggests that care is needed when merging datasets from different laboratories. Examples of time series in the surface North Atlantic subpolar gyre illustrate the temporal changes in water isotope composition that can be detected with a carefully validated dataset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

10 The decadal changes of the fugacity of CO2 (fCO2) and pH in surface waters are investigated in the Southern Indian Ocean (45°S-57°S) using repeated summer observations, including measurements of fCO2, total alkalinity (AT) and total carbon (CT) collected over the period 1998-2019 in the frame of the French monitoring program OISO. We used three datasets (underway fCO2, underway AT-CT and station AT-CT) to evaluate the trends of fCO2 and pH and their drivers, including the accumulation of anthropogenic CO2 (Cant). The study region is separated into three domains based on the frontal system 15 and biogeochemical characteristics: (i) High Nutrients Low Chlorophyll (HNLC) waters in the Polar Front Zone (PFZ), (ii) HNLC waters south of the Polar Front (PF) and (iii) the highly productive zones in fertilized waters near Crozet and Kerguelen Islands. Almost everywhere, we obtained similar trends in surface fCO2 and pH using the fCO2 or AT-CT datasets. Over the period 1998-2019, we observed an increase in surface fCO2 and a decrease in pH ranging from +1.0 to +4.0 µatm yr-1 and from -0.0015 to -0.0043 yr-1, respectively. South of the PF, the fCO2 trend is close to the atmospheric 20 CO2 rise (+2.0 µatm yr-1) and the decrease in pH is in the range of the mean trend for the global ocean (around -0.0020 yr- 1); these trends are driven by the warming of surface waters (up to +0.04°C yr-1) and the increase in CT, mainly due to the accumulation of Cant (around +0.6 µmol kg-1 yr-1). In the PFZ, our data show slower fCO2 and pH trends (around +1.3 µatm yr-1 and -0.0013 yr-1, respectively) associated with an increase in AT (around +0.4 µmol kg-1 yr-1) that limited the impact of a more rapid accumulation of Cant north of the PF (up to +1.1 µmol kg-1 yr-1). In the fertilized waters near Crozet and 25 Kerguelen Islands, fCO2 increased and pH decreased faster than in the other domains, between +2.2 and +4.0 µatm yr-1 and between -0.0023 yr-1 and -0.0043 yr-1. The fastest trends of fCO2 and pH are found around Kerguelen Island north and south of the PF. These trends result from both a significant warming (up to +0.07°C yr-1) and a rapid increase in CT (up to +1.4 µmol kg-1 yr-1), mainly explained by the uptake of Cant. Our data also show rapid changes on short periods and a relative stability of both fCO2 and pH in recent years at several locations both north and south of the PF, which leaves 30 many open questions, notably the tipping point for the saturation state of carbonate minerals that remains highly uncertain. This highlights the need to maintain observations on the long-term in order to explore how the carbonate system will evolve in this region in the next decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The North Brazil Current (NBC) flows northward across the Equator, passes the mouth of the Amazon River, and forms large oceanic eddies near 8° N. We investigate the processes driving the variability of air-sea CO2 fluxes at different scales in early 2020 in the region [50° W-59° W-5° N-16° N]. This region is a pathway between the equatorial and North Atlantic Ocean and was surveyed during the EUREC4A-OA/ATOMIC campaign. In-situ surface fugacity of CO2 (fCO2), salinity and temperature combined with maps of satellite salinity, chlorophyll-a and temperature highlight contrasting properties in the region. In February 2020, the area is a CO2 sink (-1.7 TgC.month-1), previously underestimated by a factor 10. The NBC rings transport saline and high fCO2 water indicative of their equatorial origins and are a small source of CO2 at regional scale. Their main impact on the variability of biogeochemical parameters is through the filaments they entrain into the open ocean. During the campaign, a nutrient-rich freshwater plume from the Amazon River is entrained from the shelf up to 12° N and caused a phytoplankton bloom leading to a significant carbon drawdown (~20 % of the total sink). On the other hand, saltier filaments of shelf water rich in detrital material act as strong local sources of CO2. Spatial distribution of fCO2 is therefore strongly influenced by ocean dynamics south of 12° N. The less variable North Atlantic subtropical water extends from Barbados northward. They represent ~60 % of the total sink due to their lower temperature associated with winter cooling and strong winds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monthly sea surface salinity (SSS) fields are constructed from observations, using objective mapping on a 1° × 1° grid in the Atlantic Ocean between 30°S and 50°N in the 1970–2016 period in an update of the dataset of Reverdin et al. Data coverage is heterogeneous, with increased density in 2002 when Argo floats become available, high density along Voluntary Observing Ship lines, and low density south of 10°S. Using lag correlation, the seasonal reemergence of SSS anomalies is investigated between 20° and 50°N in 5° × 5° boxes during the 1993–2016 period, both locally and remotely following the displacements of the deep mixed layer waters estimated from virtual float trajectories derived from the daily AVISO surface geostrophic currents. Although SSS data are noisy, local SSS reemergence is detected in about one-half of the boxes, notably in the northeast and southeast, whereas little reemergence is seen in the central and part of the eastern subtropical gyre. In the same period, sea surface temperature (SST) reemergence is found only slightly more frequently, reflecting the short data duration. However, taking geostrophic advection into account degrades the detection of remote SSS and even SST reemergence. When anomalies are averaged over broader areas, robust evidence of a second and third SSS reemergence peak is found in the northeastern and southeastern parts of the domain, indicating long cold-season persistence of large-scale SSS anomalies, whereas only a first SST reemergence is seen. An oceanic reanalysis is used to confirm that the correlation analysis indeed reflects the reemergence of subsurface salinity anomalies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ships of opportunity are a frequently used platform in surface ocean carbon observations and estimating the annual ocean carbon sink. For understanding the drivers behind changes in the ocean carbon system, oxygen measurements alongside the carbon dioxide measurements can be a valuable tool. We developed an in‐air calibration system for oxygen optodes in underway systems. The regular measurements of atmospheric oxygen enable us to correct for sensor drift and biofouling. This new system can help to obtain reliable oxygen data from underway applications, especially if the vessel is not easily accessible and a frequent recalibration of the optode is not feasible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean is the world's main production site of Antarctic Bottom Water, a water-mass that is ventilated at the ocean surface before sinking and entraining older water-masses—ultimately replenishing the abyssal global ocean. In recent decades, numerous attempts at estimating the rates of ventilation and overturning of Antarctic Bottom Water in this region have led to a strikingly broad range of results, with water transport-based calculations (8.4–9.7 Sv) yielding larger rates than tracer-based estimates (3.7–4.9 Sv). Here, we reconcile these conflicting views by integrating transport- and tracer-based estimates within a common analytical framework, in which bottom water formation processes are explicitly quantified. We show that the layer of Antarctic Bottom Water denser than 28.36 kg m - 3 γ n is exported northward at a rate of 8.4 ± 0.7 Sv, composed of 4.5 ± 0.3 Sv of well-ventilated Dense Shelf Water, and 3.9 ± 0.5 Sv of old Circumpolar Deep Water entrained into cascading plumes. The majority, but not all, of the Dense Shelf Water (3.4 ± 0.6 Sv) is generated on the continental shelves of the Weddell Sea. Only 55% of AABW exported from the region is well ventilated and thus draws down heat and carbon into the deep ocean. Our findings unify traditionally contrasting views of Antarctic Bottom Water production in the Atlantic sector, and define a baseline, process-discerning target for its realistic representation in climate models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ten years of L-band radiometric measurements have proven the capability of satellite sea surface salinity (SSS) to resolve large-scale-to-mesoscale SSS features in tropical to subtropical ocean. In mid-to-high latitudes, L-band measurements still suffer from large-scale and time-varying errors. Here, a simple method is proposed to mitigate the large-scale and time-varying errors. First, an optimal interpolation using a large correlation scale (;500 km) is used to map independently Soil Moisture Ocean Salinity (SMOS) and Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) level-3 (L3) data. The mapping is compared with the equivalent mapping of in situ observations to estimate the large-scale and seasonal biases. A second mapping is performed on adjusted SSS at the scale of SMOS/SMAP spatial resolution (;45 km). This procedure merges both products and increases the signal-to-noise ratio of the absolute SSS estimates, reducing the root-mean-square difference of in situ satellite products by about 26%-32% from mid- to high latitudes, respectively, in comparison with the existing SMOS and SMAP L3 products. However, in the Arctic Ocean, some issues on satellite retrieved SSS related to, for example, radio frequency interferences, land-sea contamination, and ice-sea contamination remain challenging to reduce given the low sensitivity of L-band radiometric measurements to SSS in cold water. Using the International Thermodynamic Equation Of Seawater--2010 (TEOS-10), the resulting level-4 SSS satellite product is combined with satellite-microwave SST products to estimate sea surface density, spiciness, and haline contraction and thermal expansion coefficients. For the first time, we illustrate how useful these satellite-derived parameters are to fully characterize the surface ocean water masses at large mesoscale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Variability of surface water masses of the Laptev and the East Siberian seas in August–September 2018 is studied using in situ and satellite data. In situ data were collected during the ARKTIKA-2018 expedition and then complemented with satellite-derived sea surface temperature (SST), salinity (SSS), sea surface height, wind speed, and sea ice concentration. The estimation of SSS fields is challenging in high-latitude regions, and the precision of soil moisture and ocean salinity (SMOS) SSS retrieval is improved by applying a threshold on SSS weekly error. For the first time in this region, the validity of DMI (Danish Meteorological Institute) SST and SMOS SSS products is thoroughly studied using ARKTIKA-2018 expedition continuous thermosalinograph measurements and conductivity–temperature–depth (CTD) casts. They are found to be adequate to describe large surface gradients in this region. Surface gradients and mixing of the river and the sea water in the ice-free and ice-covered areas are described with a special attention to the marginal ice zone at a synoptic scale. We suggest that the freshwater is pushed northward, close to the marginal ice zone (MIZ) and under the sea ice, which is confirmed by the oxygen isotope analysis. The SST-SSS diagram based on satellite estimates shows the possibility of investigating the surface water mass transformation at a synoptic scale and reveals the presence of river water on the shelf of the East Siberian Sea. The Ekman transport is calculated to better understand the pathway of surface water displacement on the shelf and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) is one of the main drivers of climate variability at decadal and longer time scales. As there are no direct multi-decadal observations of this key circulation, the reconstruction of past AMOC variations is essential. This work presents a step forward in reconstructing the AMOC using climate models and time-varying surface nudging of salinity and temperature data, for which independent multi-decadal observed series are available. A number of nudging protocols are explored in a perfect model framework to best reproduce the AMOC variability accommodating to the characteristics of SST and SSS available products. As reference SST products with sufficient space and time coverage are available, we here choose to focus on the limitations associated to SSS products with the goal of providing protocols using independent salinity products. We consider a global gridded dataset and, additionally, a coarser SSS dataset restricted to the Atlantic and with a quite low spatial resolution (order of 10 degrees vs. 2 for the model grid). We show how, using the latter, we can improve the efficiency of the nudging on the AMOC reconstruction by adding a high-resolution annual cycle to the coarse resolution SSS product as well as a spatial downscaling to account for SSS gradient. The final protocol retained for the coarse SSS data is able to reconstruct a 100-year long AMOC period (average of 10.18 Sv and a standard deviation of 1.39 Sv), with a correlation of 0.76 to the target and a RMSE of 0.99 Sv. These values can be respectively compared to 0.85 and 0.75 Sv when using the global salinity surface observations. This work provides a first step towards understanding the limitations and prospects of historical AMOC reconstructions using different sea surface salinity datasets for the surface nudging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Realistic ocean state prediction and its validation rely on the availability of high quality in situ observations. To detect data errors, adequate quality check procedures must be designed. This paper presents procedures that take advantage of the ever-growing observation databases that provide climatological knowledge of the ocean variability in the neighborhood of an observation location. Local validity intervals are used to estimate binarily whether the observed values are considered as good or erroneous. Whereas a classical approach estimates validity bounds from first- and second-order moments of the climatological parameter distribution, that is, mean and variance, this work proposes to infer them directly from minimum and maximum observed values. Such an approach avoids any assumption of the parameter distribution such as unimodality, symmetry around the mean, peakedness, or homogeneous distribution tail height relative to distribution peak. To reach adequate statistical robustness, an extensive manual quality control of the reference dataset is critical. Once the data have been quality checked, the local minima and maxima reference fields are derived and the method is compared with the classical mean/variance-based approach. Performance is assessed in terms of statistics of good and bad detections. It is shown that the present size of the reference datasets allows the parameter estimates to reach a satisfactory robustness level to always make the method more efficient than the classical one. As expected, insufficient robustness persists in areas with an especially low number of samples and high variability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The North Atlantic is one of the major ocean sinks for natural and anthropogenic atmospheric CO2. Given the variability of the circulation, convective processes or warming–cooling recognized in the high latitudes in this region, a better understanding of the CO2 sink temporal variability and associated acidification needs a close inspection of seasonal, interannual to multidecadal observations. In this study, we investigate the evolution of CO2 uptake and ocean acidification in the North Atlantic Subpolar Gyre (50–64 ∘ N) using repeated observations collected over the last 3 decades in the framework of the long-term monitoring program SURATLANT (SURveillance de l'ATLANTique). Over the full period (1993–2017) pH decreases (-0.0017 yr -1) and fugacity of CO2 (fCO2) increases (+ 1.70 µ atm yr -1). The trend of fCO2 in surface water is slightly less than the atmospheric rate (+ 1.96 µ atm yr -1). This is mainly due to dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) increase associated with the anthropogenic signal. However, over shorter periods (4–10 years) and depending on the season, we detect significant variability investigated in more detail in this study. Data obtained between 1993 and 1997 suggest a rapid increase in fCO2 in summer (up to +14 µ atm yr -1) that was driven by a significant warming and an increase in DIC for a short period. Similar fCO2 trends are observed between 2001 and 2007 during both summer and winter, but, without significant warming detected, these trends are mainly explained by an increase in DIC and a decrease in alkalinity. This also leads to a pH decrease but with contrasting trends depending on the region and season (between -0.006 and -0.013 yr -1). Conversely, data obtained during the last decade (2008–2017) in summer show a cooling of surface waters and an increase in alkalinity, leading to a strong decrease in surface fCO2 (between -4.4 and -2.3 µ atm yr -1 ; i.e., the ocean CO2 sink increases). Surprisingly, during summer, pH increases up to +0.0052 yr -1 in the southern subpolar gyre. Overall, our results show that, in addition to the accumulation of anthropogenic CO2 , the temporal changes in the uptake of CO2 and ocean acidification in the North Atlantic Subpolar Gyre present significant multiannual variability, not clearly directly associated with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). With such variability it is uncertain to predict the near-future evolution of air–sea CO2 fluxes and pH in this region. Thus, it is highly recommended to maintain long-term observations to monitor these properties in the next decade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dissolved Fe (DFe) samples from the GEOVIDE voyage (GEOTRACES GA01, May–June 2014) in the North Atlantic Ocean were analyzed using a sea FAST -pico™ coupled to an Element XR sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (SF-ICP-MS) and provided interesting insights into the Fe sources in this area. Overall, DFe concentrations ranged from 0.09±0.01 to 7.8±0.5 nmol L -1. Elevated DFe concentrations were observed above the Iberian, Greenland, and Newfoundland margins likely due to riverine inputs from the Tagus River, meteoric water inputs, and sedimentary inputs. Deep winter convection occurring the previous winter provided iron-to-nitrate ratios sufficient to sustain phytoplankton growth and lead to relatively elevated DFe concentrations within subsurface waters of the Irminger Sea. Increasing DFe concentrations along the flow path of the Labrador Sea Water were attributed to sedimentary inputs from the Newfoundland Margin. Bottom waters from the Irminger Sea displayed high DFe concentrations likely due to the dissolution of Fe-rich particles in the Denmark Strait Overflow Water and the Polar Intermediate Water. Finally, the nepheloid layers located in the different basins and at the Iberian Margin were found to act as either a source or a sink of DFe depending on the nature of particles, with organic particles likely releasing DFe and Mn particle scavenging DFe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use new observations of stable water isotopes from a research cruise in early 2017 to highlight ocean‐ice interactions occurring under Filchner‐Ronne Ice Shelf, the largest Antarctic ice shelf. In particular, we investigate the properties of Ice Shelf Water with temperature lower than the surface freezing point, in the Filchner Depression. We identify two main flavors of Ice Shelf Water emerging from beneath the Filchner Ice Shelf, which originate from High Salinity Shelf Water end members with distinct characteristics. Furthermore, these two High Salinity Shelf Water end members interact with areas of the ice shelves with different basal properties to produce different versions of Ice Shelf Water. These water masses are associated with different rates of basal melting and refreezing, which we quantify. Ice Shelf Water types that flow out of the ice shelf cavity are composed of 0.4% of mass from ice shelf (melt minus freeze) when sampled at the front of Filchner Ice Shelf. The slightly lighter Ice Shelf Water version mixes directly with ambient water masses as it flows northward on the continental shelf. The resulting Ice Shelf Water mixture with temperature below the surface freezing point ultimately sinks along the continental slope into the deep ocean, as a precursor of the Weddell Sea bottom waters. Key Points: Water masses outflowing from beneath Filchner Ice Shelf in the Weddell Sea are identified and linked to two distinct inflow sourcesThe two inflow sources interact with different ice shelf characteristics, with meltwater, being ∼0.4% of the outflowing water massesThe freshest outflow mixes with ambient waters to ultimately sink along the continental slope and entrains overlying warmer waters [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Atlantic Ocean overturning circulation is important to the climate system because it carries heat and carbon northward, and from the surface to the deep ocean. The high salinity of the subpolar North Atlantic is a prerequisite for overturning circulation, and strong freshening could herald a slowdown. We show that the eastern subpolar North Atlantic underwent extreme freshening during 2012 to 2016, with a magnitude never seen before in 120 years of measurements. The cause was unusual winter wind patterns driving major changes in ocean circulation, including slowing of the North Atlantic Current and diversion of Arctic freshwater from the western boundary into the eastern basins. We find that wind-driven routing of Arctic-origin freshwater intimately links conditions on the North West Atlantic shelf and slope region with the eastern subpolar basins. This reveals the importance of atmospheric forcing of intra-basin circulation in determining the salinity of the subpolar North Atlantic. The Atlantic Ocean overturning circulation is important to the global climate system. Here the authors show that eastern subpolar North Atlantic underwent extreme freshening during 2012 to 2016, with a magnitude never seen before in 120 years of surface measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the Copernicus in situ ocean dataset of temperature and salinity (version 5.2). Ocean subsurface sampling varied widely from 1950 to 2017 as a result of changes in instrument technology and the development of in situ observational networks (in particular, tropical moorings for the Argo program). Thus, global ocean temperature data coverage on an annual basis grew from 10 % in 1950 (30 % for the North Atlantic basin) to 25 % in 2000 (60 % for the North Atlantic basin) and reached a plateau exceeding 80 % (95 % for the North Atlantic Ocean) after the deployment of the Argo program. The average depth reached by the profiles also increased from 1950 to 2017. The validation framework is presented, and an objective analysis-based method is developed to assess the quality of the dataset validation process. Objective analyses (OAs) of the ocean variability are calculated without taking into account the data quality flags (raw dataset OA), with the near-real-time quality flags (NRT dataset OA), and with the delayed-time-mode quality flags (CORA dataset OA). The comparison of the objective analysis variability shows that the near-real-time dataset managed to detect and to flag most of the large measurement errors, reducing the analysis error bar compared to the raw dataset error bar. It also shows that the ocean variability of the delayed-time-mode validated dataset is almost exempt from random-error-induced variability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding what controls the water vapor isotopic composition of the sub-cloud layer (SCL) over tropical oceans (δD0) is a first step towards understanding the water vapor isotopic composition everywhere in the troposphere. We propose an analytical model to predict δD0 motivated by the hypothesis that the altitude from which the free tropospheric air originates (zorig) is an important factor: when the air mixing into the SCL is lower in altitude, it is generally moister, and thus it depletes the SCL more efficiently. We extend previous simple box models of the SCL by prescribing the shape of δD vertical profiles as a function of humidity profiles and by accounting for rain evaporation and horizontal advection effects. The model relies on the assumption that δD profiles are steeper than mixing lines, and that the SCL is at steady state, restricting its applications to timescales longer than daily. In the model, δD0 is expressed as a function of zorig , humidity and temperature profiles, surface conditions, a parameter describing the steepness of the δD vertical gradient, and a few parameters describing rain evaporation and horizontal advection effects. We show that δD0 does not depend on the intensity of entrainment, in contrast to several previous studies that had hoped that δD0 measurements could help estimate this quantity. Based on an isotope-enabled general circulation model simulation, we show that δD0 variations are mainly controlled by mid-tropospheric depletion and rain evaporation in ascending regions and by sea surface temperature and zorig in subsiding regions. In turn, could δD0 measurements help estimate zorig and thus discriminate between different mixing processes? For such isotope-based estimates of zorig to be useful, we would need a precision of a few hundred meters in deep convective regions and smaller than 20 m in stratocumulus regions. To reach this target, we would need daily measurements of δD in the mid-troposphere and accurate measurements of δD0 (accuracy down to 0.1 ‰ in the case of stratocumulus clouds, which is currently difficult to obtain). We would also need information on the horizontal distribution of δD to account for horizontal advection effects, and full δD profiles to quantify the uncertainty associated with the assumed shape for δD profiles. Finally, rain evaporation is an issue in all regimes, even in stratocumulus clouds. Innovative techniques would need to be developed to quantify this effect from observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Turbulent fluxes at the air‐sea interface are estimated with data collected in 2011 to 2017 with a low‐profile platform during six experiments in four regions. The observations were carried out with moderate winds (2–10 m/s) and averaged wave heights of 1.5 m. Most of the time, there was a swell, with an averaged wave age (the ratio between wave phase speed and wind speed) being equal to 2.8 ± 1.6. Three flux calculation methods are used, namely, the eddy covariance (EC), the inertial dissipation (ID), and the bulk methods. For the EC method, a spectral technique is proposed to correct wind data from platform motion. A mean bias affecting the friction velocity (u*) is then evaluated. The comparison between EC u* and ID u* estimates suggests that a constant imbalance term (ϕimb) equal to 0.4 is required in the ID method, possibly due to wave influence on our data. Overall, the confidence in the calculated u* estimates is found to be on the order of 10%. The values of the drag coefficient (CD) are in good agreement with the parameterizations of Smith (1988, https://doi.org/10.1029/JC093iC12p15467) in medium‐range winds and of Edson et al. (2013, https://doi.org/10.1175/JPO‐D‐12‐0173.1) in light winds. According to our data, the inverse wave age varies linearly with wind speed, as in Edson et al. (2013, https://doi.org/10.1175/JPO‐D‐12‐0173.1), but our estimates of the Charnock coefficient do not increase with wind speed, which is possibly related to sampling swell‐dominated seas. We find that the Stanton number is independent from wind speed. Plain Language Summary: A small wave‐following platform was deployed in 2011–2017 across four oceanic regions. The data are used to estimate turbulent fluxes, which are physical quantities that describe the exchanges of heat and momentum through the air‐sea interface. In weather models, simplified representations of the fluxes are used, which themselves depend on coefficients named drag coefficient for momentum exchange and Stanton number for temperature exchange, respectively. In this study, we evaluate these coefficients. First, we compare the flux estimates from the three main available methods. We adjust the parameters in the methods to reach the best possible agreement between the calculated fluxes. Two types of corrections are proposed, depending on the method considered, because turbulence data are modified by the motion of the platform and by the proximity of waves. Data are corrected by applying a mean bias to the fluxes and by accounting for a nonmeasured term in the turbulence equations. Then, we analyze the wind dependence of the estimated drag coefficient and Stanton number. We find that drag is slowly increasing with wind speed, in agreement with existing models. Estimates of the Stanton number have biases but which do not depend on wind speed. Key Points: The drag coefficient at the air‐sea interface follows Smith (1988) in moderate winds and hardly increases in light windsA constant imbalance term of 0.4 is required in the inertial dissipation flux calculation method, with data sampled at a 1.5‐m heightStanton number estimates are independent from wind speed in moderate winds [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The North Atlantic is one of the major sinks for anthropogenic CO2. In this study, we investigate the evolution of CO2 uptake and ocean acidification in the North Atlantic Subpolar Gyre (50°N-64°N) using repeated observations collected over the last three decades in the framework of the long-term monitoring program SURATLANT (SURveillance de l'ATLANTique). Data obtained between 1993 and 1997 suggest an important reduction in the capacity of the ocean to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere during summer, due to a rapid increase in the fugacity of CO2 (fCO2) in surface waters (5 times faster than the increase in the atmosphere). This was associated with a rapid decrease in surface pH (of the order of -0.014/yr) and was mainly driven by a significant warming and increase in DIC. Similar trends are observed between 2001 and 2007 during both summer and winter with a mean decrease of pH between -0.006/yr and -0.013/yr. These rapid trends are mainly explained by a significant warming of surface waters, a decrease in alkalinity during summer and an increase in DIC during winter. On the contrary, data obtained during the last decade (2008-2017) show a stagnation of surface fCO2 (increasing the ocean sink for CO2) and pH. These recent trends are explained by the cooling of surface waters, a small decrease of total alkalinity and the near-stagnation of dissolved inorganic carbon. Overall our results show that the uptake of CO2 and ocean acidification in the North Atlantic Subpolar Gyre is substantially impacted by multi-decadal variability, in addition to the accumulation of anthropogenic CO2. As a consequence, the future evolution of air-sea CO2 fluxes, pH and the saturation state of surface waters with regards to aragonite and calcite remain highly uncertain in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a binned annual product (BINS) of sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface salinity (SSS), and sea surface density (SSD) observations for 1896-2015 of the subpolar North Atlantic between 40° N and 70° N, mostly excluding the shelf areas. The product of bin averages over spatial scales on the order of 200 to 500 km, reproducing most of the interannual variability in different time series covering at least the last three decades or of the along-track ship monitoring. Comparisons with other SSS and SST gridded products available since 1950 suggest that BINS captures the large decadal to multidecadal variability. Comparison with the HadSST3 SST product since 1896 also indicates that the decadal and multidecadal variability is usually well-reproduced, with small differences in long-term trends or in areas with marginal data coverage in either of the two products. Outside of the Labrador Sea and Greenland margins, interannual variability is rather similar in different seasons. Variability at periods longer than 15 years is a large part of the total interannual variability, both for SST and SSS, except possibly in the south-western part of the domain. Variability in SST and SSS increases towards the west, with the contribution of salinity variability to density dominating that of temperature in the western Atlantic, except close to the Gulf Stream and North Atlantic Current in the southwest area. Weaker variability and larger relative temperature contributions to density changes are found in the eastern part of the gyre and south of Iceland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the Copernicus in-situ ocean dataset of temperature and salinity (version V5.2). The ocean subsurface sampling varied widely from 1950 to 2017, as a result of changes in the instrument technology and development of in-situ observational networks (in particular, tropical moorings, ARGO program). The global ocean temperature data coverage on an annual basis grows thus from 10% in 1950 (30% for the North Atlantic basin) to 25% in 2000 (60% for the North Atlantic basin) and reaches a plateau exceeding 80% (95% for the North Atlantic Ocean) after the deployment of the ARGO program. The average depth reached by the profiles also increases from 1950 to 2017. The validation framework is presented, and an objective analysis-based method is developed to assess the quality of the dataset validation process. Analyses of the ocean variability are calculated without taking into account the data quality flags (raw dataset OA), with the near real time quality flags (NRT dataset OA) and with the delayed time mode quality flags (CORA dataset OA). The comparison of the objective analysis variability shows that the near real time dataset managed to detect and to flag most of the large measurement errors, reducing the analysis error bar compared to the raw dataset error bar. It also shows that the ocean variability of the delayed time mode validated dataset is almost exempt from the random error induced variability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the SURATLANT data set (SURveillance ATLANTique). It consists of individual data of temperature, salinity, parameters of the carbonate system, nutrients, and water stable isotopes (δ18O and δ D) collected mostly from ships of opportunity since 1993 along transects between Iceland and Newfoundland (10.17882/54517). We discuss how the data are validated and qualified, their accuracy, and the overall characteristics of the data set. The data are used to reconstruct seasonal cycles and interannual anomalies, in particular of sea surface salinity (SSS); inorganic nutrients; dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC); and its isotopic composition δ13CDIC , total alkalinity (A t), and water isotope concentrations. Derived parameters such as fCO2 and pH are also estimated. The relation between salinity and A t is estimated from these data to investigate the possibility to replace missing A t when estimating other parameters of the carbonate system. When examining the average seasonal cycle in the deep ocean, in both these data with other climatologies, we find a period of small seasonal change between January and late April. On the Newfoundland shelf and continental slope, changes related with spring stratification and blooms occur earlier. The data were collected in a period of multi-decennial variability associated with the Atlantic multi-decadal variability with warming between 1994 and 2004–2007, and with the recent cooling having peaked in 2014–2016. We also observe strong salinification in 2004–2009 and fresher waters in 1994–1995 as well as since 2010 south of 54 ∘ N and in 2016–2017 north of 54 ∘ N. Indication of multi-decadal variability is also suggested by other variables, such as phosphate or DIC, but cannot be well resolved seasonally with the discrete sampling and in the presence of interannual variability. As a whole, over the 24 years, the ocean fCO2 trend (+ 1.9 µ atm yr -1) is close to the atmospheric trend and associated with an increase in DIC (+ 0.77 µ mol kg -1 yr -1). The data also revealed a canonical pH decrease of -0.0021 yr -1. There is also a decrease in δ13CDIC between 2005 and 2017 (in winter, -0.014 ‰ yr -1 , but larger in summer, -0.042 ‰ yr -1) , suggesting a significant anthropogenic carbon signal at play together with other processes (mixing, biological activity). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a binned product of sea surface temperature, sea surface salinity, and sea surface density data in the North Atlantic subpolar gyre from 1993 to 2017 that resolves seasonal variability along specific ship routes (https://doi.org/10.6096/SSS-BIN-NASG). The characteristics of this product are described and validated through comparisons to other monthly products. Data presented in this work were collected in regions crossed by two predetermined ship transects, between Denmark and western Greenland (AX01) and between Iceland, Newfoundland, and the northeastern USA (AX02). The data were binned along a selected usable transect. The analysis and the strong correlation between successive seasons indicate that in large parts of the subpolar gyre, the binning approach is robust and resolves the seasonal timescales, in particular after 1997 and in regions away from the continental shelf. Prior to 2002, there was no winter sampling over theWest Greenland Shelf. Variability in sea surface salinity increases towards Newfoundland south of 54° N, as well as in the western Iceland Basin along 59° N. Variability in sea surface temperature presents less spatial structure with an increase westward and towards Newfoundland. The contribution of temperature variability to density dominates in the eastern part of the gyre, whereas the contribution of salinity variability dominates in the southwestern part along AX02. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dissolved Fe (DFe) samples from the GEOVIDE voyage (GEOTRACES GA01, May-June 2014) in the North Atlantic Ocean were analysed using a SeaFAST-picoTM coupled to an Element XR HR-ICP-MS and provided interesting insights on the Fe sources in this area. Overall, DFe concentrations ranged from 0.09 ± 0.01 nmol L-1 to 7.8 ± 0.5 nmol L-1. Elevated DFe concentrations were observed above the Iberian, Greenland and Newfoundland Margins likely due to riverine inputs from the Tagus River, meteoric water inputs and sedimentary inputs. Air-sea interactions were suspected to be responsible for the increase in DFe concentrations within subsurface waters of the Irminger Sea due to deep convection occurring the previous winter, that provided iron-to-nitrate ratios sufficient to sustain phytoplankton growth. Increasing DFe concentrations along the flow path of the Labrador Sea Water were attributed to sedimentary inputs from the Newfoundland Margin. Bottom waters from the Irminger Sea displayed high DFe concentrations likely due to the dissolution of Fe-rich particles from the Denmark Strait Overflow Water and the Polar Intermediate Water. Finally, the nepheloid layers were found to act as either a source or a sink of DFe depending on the nature of particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a binned product of sea surface temperature, sea surface salinity and sea surface density data in the North Atlantic subpolar gyre for the 1993-2017 that resolves seasonal variability along specific ship routes (doi:10.6096/SSS-BIN-NASG). The characteristics of this product are described and validated through comparisons to other monthly products. Data presented in this work was collected in regions crossed by two predetermined ship transects, between Denmark and western Greenland (AX01) and between Iceland, Newfoundland, and the northeastern USA (AX02). The analysis and the strong correlation between successive seasons indicate that in large parts of the subpolar gyre, the binning approach is robust and resolves the seasonal time scales, in particular after 1997 and in regions away from the continental shelf. Prior to 2002, there was no winter sampling over the west Greenland shelf. Variability in sea surface salinity increases towards Newfoundland south of 54°N, as well as in the western Iceland Basin along 59°N. Variability in sea surface temperature presents less spatial structure with an increase westward and towards Newfoundland. The contribution of temperature variability to density dominates in the eastern part of the gyre, whereas the contribution of salinity variability dominates in the southwestern part along AX02. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The meridional overturning circulation (MOC) in the North Atlantic plays a major role in the transport of heat from low to high latitudes. In this study, we combine recent measurements of currents from the surface to >700 m from a shipboard acoustic Doppler current profiler with Argo profiles (to 2000 m) to estimate poleward volume, heat, and freshwater flux at 59.5°N between Greenland and Scotland. This is made possible thanks to the vessel Nuka Arctica that operates on a 3 week schedule between Greenland and Denmark. For the period late 2012 to early 2016, the deseasoned mean meridional overturning circulation reaches a 18.4 ± 3.4 Sv maximum at the σθ = 27.55 kg m−3 isopycnal, which varies in depth from near the surface in the western Irminger Sea to 1000 m in Rockall Trough. The total heat and freshwater fluxes across 59.5°N = 399 ± 74 TW and −0.20 ± 0.04 Sv, where the uncertainties are principally due to that of the MOC. Analysis of altimetric sea surface height variations along exactly the same route reveals a somewhat stronger geostrophic flow north during this period compared to the 23 year mean suggesting that for a long-term mean the above flux estimates should be reduced slightly to 17.4 Sv, 377 TW, and −0.19 Sv, respectively, with the same estimate uncertainties. The ADCP program is ongoing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detailed observations of the diurnal jet, a surface intensification of the wind-driven current associated with the diurnal cycle of sea surface temperature (SST), were obtained during August and September 2012 in the subtropical Atlantic. A diurnal increase in SST of 0.2° to 0.5°C was observed, which corresponded to a diurnal jet of 0.15 m s−1. The increase in near-surface stratification limits the vertical diffusion of the wind stress, which in turn increases the near-surface shear. While the stratification decreased the turbulent dissipation rate ε below the depth of the diurnal jet, there was an observed increase in ε within the diurnal jet. The diurnal jet was observed to increase the near-surface shear by a factor of 5, which coincided with enhanced values of ε. The diurnal evolution of the Richardson number, which is an indicator of shear instability, is less than 1, suggesting that shear instability may contribute to near-surface turbulence. While the increased stratification due to the diurnal heating limits the depth of the momentum flux due to the wind, shear instability provides an additional source of turbulence that interacts with the enhanced shear of the diurnal jet to increase ε within this shallow layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated a 100 x 100 km high-salinity region of the North Atlantic subtropical gyre during the Sub-Tropical Atlantic Surface Salinity Experiment/Salinity Processes in the Upper-ocean Regional Study (STRASSE/SPURS) cruise from August 21, 2012, to September 9, 2012. Results showed great variability in sea surface salinity (SSS; over 0.3 psu) in the mesoscale, over 7 cm of total evaporation, and little diapycnal mixing below 36 m depth, the deepest mixed layers encountered. Strong currents in the southwestern part of the domain, and the penetration of freshwater, suggest that advection contributed greatly to salinity evolution. However, it was further observed that a smaller cyclonic structure tucked between the high SSS band and the strongest currents contributed to the transport of high SSS water along a narrow front. Cross-frontal transport by mixing is also a possible cause of summertime reduction of SSS. The observed structure was also responsible for significant southward salt transport over more than 200 km. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Global Drifter Program deployed a total of 144 Lagrangian drifters drogued at 15 m depth, including 88 equipped with salinity sensors, in support of the first Salinity Processes in the Upper-ocean Regional Study (SPURS-1) in the subtropical North Atlantic Ocean with the goal of measuring salt fluxes associated with surface currents. The quality-controlled data set consists of 996,583 salinity observations collected between August 2012 and April 2014. A comparison of the drifter salinities with Aquarius satellite sea surface salinity (SSS) data shows that the lifespan of the salinity sensor fitted to the drifters is of the order of one year. The salinity and velocity data from the drifters were used to validate salt transport divergence computed with satellite products, with satellite salinity taken from the standard Aquarius v3.0 data set. The results indicate good agreement between the two independent methods, and also demonstrate that the effect of the eddy field combined with SSS variability at the surface dominates the signal. SSS variability within spatial bins as compared to Aquarius-beam footprints measured by drifters can be in excess of 0.1 psu. This result suggests that careful evaluation of the representation error is required when single-point in situ measurements, such as those collected by Argo floats, are used to validate spatially averaged Aquarius salinity data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Argo dataset is used to study the winter upper-ocean conditions in the northeastern subtropical (NEA) Atlantic during 2006-12. During late winter 2010, the mixed layer depth is abnormally shallow and a negative anomaly of density-compensated salinity, the so-called spiciness, is generated in the permanent pycnocline. This is primarily explained by unusual weak air-sea buoyancy flux during the late winter 2010, in contrast with the five other studied winters. Particularly deep mixed layers and strong spiciness anomalies are observed during late winter 2012. The 2010 winter conditions appear to be related to historically low North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and high tropical North Atlantic index (TNA). Interannual variability of the eastern subtropical mixed layer is further investigated using a simple 1D bulk model of mean temperature and salinity linear profiles, based on turbulent kinetic energy conservation in the upper-ocean layer, and forced only with seasonal air-sea buoyancy forcing corresponding to fall-winter 2006-12. It suggests that year-to-year variability of the winter convective mixing driven by atmospheric buoyancy flux is able to generate interannual variability of both late winter mixed layer depth and spiciness in a strongly compensated layer at the base of the mixed layer and in the permanent pycnocline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salinity measurements from drifters constitute an important in situ dataset for the calibration and validation of the sea surface salinity satellite missions. A total of 114 satellite-tracked salinity drifters were deployed within the framework of the first Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS) experiment in the subtropical North Atlantic focusing on the period August 2012-April 2014. In this study, a subset of 83 drifters, which provided useful salinity measurements in the central SPURS region from a few weeks to more than one year, is evaluated and an ad hoc quality-control procedure based on previously published work and the new observations is described. It was found that the sampling algorithm of the drifters introduces a predominantly fresh bias in the noise level of the salinity data, probably caused by the presence of air bubbles within the measuring cell. Since such noise is difficult to eliminate using statistical methods, extensive editing was done manually instead. Such quality-control procedures cannot be routinely applied to the real-time data stream from the drifters. Therefore, a revision of the sampling algorithm of the drifter's salinity sensor is needed. Comparisons of the drifter's salinity measurements with independent datasets further indicate that the sensor can provide reliable observations for up to one year. Finally, little evidence was found that the quality of the drifter's salinity measurements depends on the presence of the drogue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]