Contribution of hurricanes to local and global estimates of air-sea exchange of CO2

Abstract

The effect of hurricanes on the thermal and physical structure of the upper ocean has been described but their influence on the ocean carbon cycle and the exchange of carbon between ocean and atmosphere is not well understood. Here we present observations from the Sargasso Sea, before and after hurricane Felix in summer 1995, that show a short-lived (2-3 weeks) surface seawater cooling of about 4degC, and a decrease in seawater partial pressure of CO2 by about 60 mu atm.