Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

CS01 Air-Water Interactions

Date: Wednesday, February 14, 2001, Time: 2:15:00 PM

Location: San Miguel

Raymond, P, , Ecosystems Center/Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, USA, praymond@mbl.edu

McGillis, W, , Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, USA, wmcgillis@whoi.edu

Zappa, C, , Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, USA, czappa@whoi.edu

Terray, E, , Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, USA, eterray@whoi.edu

MEASUREMENTS OF THE GAS EXCHANGE COEFFIECENT AND ATMOSPHERIC EXCHANGE OF CO2 OVER A TIDAL CYCLE IN THE PLUM ISLAND ESTUARY USING THE GRADIENT FLUX TECHNIQUE

Theoretically the gas exchange coefficient (k) is mediated by turbulent mixing in the surface micro-layer. Direct measurements of k are few and authors generally rely on the literature to constrain k for their system. While studies in streams, lakes, and marine systems have progressed to the point where the gas exchange coefficient can be partially predicted from physical forcing functions, this is not yet the case for estuaries and rivers. We believe progress in this area can be made using new observational techniques with sufficient spatial and temporal resolution to “map” the variability of k in estuaries. Here we present estimates of k from the Plum Island estuary using air-side gradients of CO2 and estimates of the turbulent eddy diffusivity. CO2 gradients above the water were directly measured from a mobile platform using a fixed-elevation reference, while the turbulent eddy diffusivity was estimated from co-located measurements of wind and atmospheric stability using a boundary layer model. Measurements were made over the course of a 3m tidal cycle in conjunction with ancillary measurements of water vapor profiles, tidal current and elevation, pCO2, and current shear using an ADCP.

This Session Listing

Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

Quicklinks