A new system measuring the partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO₂) in surface seawater has been commissioned through a collaboration between IMOS, CSIRO and the Australian Antarctic Partnership Program (AAPP).
The pCO₂ system is being deployed for the first time on Australia’s icebreaker and research vessel, RSV Nuyina. Data collected will provide valuable insights into how much atmospheric CO₂ is absorbed by the ocean each year, contributing to understanding changes in ocean acidification and improving global climate models.
pCO₂ is recognised as an Essential Ocean Variable by the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) and as an Essential Climate Variable by the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS). These measurements are critical to national and international efforts to monitor and predict the ocean’s role in the global carbon cycle.
“High-quality surface CO₂ monitoring has been implemented on RSV Nuyina beginning with voyage one as part of a collaborative effort among IMOS, AAD and CSIRO. The monitoring from the ship is helping to plug a major gap in Southern Ocean observations that are needed to constrain the ocean uptake of atmospheric CO₂ and resolve the global carbon budget.”
Dr Bronte Tilbrook, IMOS Biogeochemical Sensors sub-Facility Lead and CSIRO Principal Research Scientist
Top image credit: Serco ; Australian Antarctic Division