Empirical algorithms to estimate water column pH in the Southern Ocean

N. L. Williams, L. W. Juranek, K. S. Johnson, R. A. Feely, S. C. Riser, L. D. Talley, J. L. Russell, Jorge Louis Sarmiento, R. Wanninkhof

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

49 Scopus citations

Abstract

Empirical algorithms are developed using high-quality GO-SHIP hydrographic measurements of commonly measured parameters (temperature, salinity, pressure, nitrate, and oxygen) that estimate pH in the Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean. The coefficients of determination, R2, are 0.98 for pH from nitrate (pHN) and 0.97 for pH from oxygen (pHOx) with RMS errors of 0.010 and 0.008, respectively. These algorithms are applied to Southern Ocean Carbon and Climate Observations and Modeling (SOCCOM) biogeochemical profiling floats, which include novel sensors (pH, nitrate, oxygen, fluorescence, and backscatter). These algorithms are used to estimate pH on floats with no pH sensors and to validate and adjust pH sensor data from floats with pH sensors. The adjusted float data provide, for the first time, seasonal cycles in surface pH on weekly resolution that range from 0.05 to 0.08 on weekly resolution for the Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)3415-3422
Number of pages8
JournalGeophysical Research Letters
Volume43
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 16 2016

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Geophysics
  • General Earth and Planetary Sciences

Keywords

  • Southern Ocean
  • autonomous profiler
  • carbon
  • ocean acidification
  • pH

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