Simulating the impact of typhoons on air‐sea CO2 fluxes on the northern coastal area of the South China Sea

• Published in: Environmental research letters Vol. 19; no. 4; pp. 044008 - 44023
• Main Authors: Meng, Zhao, Guan, Yuping, Feng, Yang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bristol IOP Publishing 01.04.2024
• Subjects: Alkalinity; Carbon dioxide; CO2 fluxes; coastal upwelling; Coastal zone; Coasts; Dissolved inorganic carbon; Fluxes; Partial pressure; pCO; pCO2sea; Sea surface temperature; Seawater; South China Sea; Typhoons; Upwelling; vertical mixing; South China Sea
• ISSN: 1748-9326
• DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/ad300e

The South China Sea is a typhoon-prone region, and previous studies have shown that typhoons have significant impacts on air-sea CO2 fluxes. However, the effect of typhoons on the northern coastal area of the South China Sea is not well understood owing to limited observational data. In this study, we used a coupled model to simulate the impact of four typhoons (Hato, Mangkhut, Nida, and Merbok) on the partial pressure of CO2 in seawater (pCO2sea) and the CO2 fluxes in this area. Our results show that the coupled model effectively reproduces the spatial pattern of pCO2sea in this region. The response of pCO2sea to typhoons was determined by typhoon-induced vertical mixing and coastal upwelling, along with initial oceanic conditions. Typhoon Nida caused a decrease in pCO2sea with Total Alkalinity and Sea Surface Temperature being the primary factors. However, typhoons Hato, Mangkhut, and Merbok caused an increase in pCO2sea with Dissolved Inorganic Carbon playing a more prominent role. The average CO2 fluxes during the passage were approximately 6–14 times higher than those before typhoon passage. These results enhance our understanding of the effect of typhoons on air-sea CO2 fluxes over the northern coastal area of the South China Sea.