Recent studies have highlighted the sensitivity of the global carbon cycle to changes in the Southern Ocean. Climate models suggest the Southern Ocean uptake of carbon dioxide will decrease as a result of changes in circulation and stratification caused by enhanced greenhouse warming, providing another potential positive feedback for climate change (Sarmiento et al., 1998). More surface carbon observations are needed to improve the spatial coverage to reduce the uncertainty in estimates of the air-sea flux of CO2. However, the Southern Ocean will remain a large conduit for the uptake and global distribution of anthropogenic carbon to the global oceans (Tjiputra et al., 2010). Full water column sections of carbon, oxygen, nutrients and physical variables are needed to track the evolving inventory of anthropogenic CO2 and other properties related to the carbon and biogeochemical cycles. The uptake of carbon by the ocean results in acidification and changes in carbonate chemistry that will likely have significant consequences for biological and biogeochemical processes in the ocean.
At the 2013 Scientific Steering Committee meeting in Shanghai, China, the SOOS Steering Committee identified the top gaps in observations for each of the 6 SOOS Science Themes that should be identified as "priority observations" for the coming years. SOOS encourages the community to develop field initiatives to address these key gaps and to highlight their contribution to the international SOOS effort through SOOS endorsement or other connections.
Gliders, underway observations from ships, CO2 repeat hydrography, moorings
Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies
University of Tasmania
Private Bag 110
Phone: 61 3 62266011
Fax: 61 3 62262107
info@soos.aq
