title: Collapse of the tropical and subtropical North Atlantic CO2sink in boreal spring of 2010.
abstract: Following the 2009 Pacific El Niño, a warm event developed in the tropical and subtropical North Atlantic during boreal spring of 2010 promoted a significant increase in the CO2fugacity of surface waters. This, together with the relaxation of the prevailing wind fields, resulted in the reversal of the atmospheric CO2absorption capacity of the tropical and subtropical North Atlantic. In the region 0-30°N, 62-10°W, this climatic event led to the reversal of the climatological CO2sink of -29.3 Tg C to a source of CO2to the atmosphere of 1.6 Tg C from February to May. The highest impact of this event is verified in the region of the North Equatorial Current, where the climatological CO2uptake of -22.4 Tg for that period ceased during 2010 (1.2 Tg C). This estimate is higher than current assessments of the multidecadal variability of the sea-air CO2exchange for the entire North Atlantic (20 Tg year-1), and highlights the potential impact of the increasing occurrence of extreme climate events over the oceanic CO2sink and atmospheric CO2composition.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oceanography - DOCEAN, Federal University of Pernambuco - UFPE, Av. Arquitetura, s/n, Cidade Universitária, 50740-550, Recife-PE, Brazil.
authors.forename: J Severino P
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Ibánhez
authors.affiliation: Department of Oceanography - DOCEAN, Federal University of Pernambuco - UFPE, Av. Arquitetura, s/n, Cidade Universitária, 50740-550, Recife-PE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Flores
authors.affiliation: IRD-LOCEAN, Sorbonne Universités (Université Pierre et Marie Curie-CNRS-MNHN), 4 place Jussieu, 75252 Paris Cedex 05, France.
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lefèvre