Seasonal variation of CO2 air-sea flux and effects of warming in the Kuroshio Current of the East China Sea

The partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) and associated CO2 air-sea flux exhibit highly heterogeneous temporal and spatial patterns in ocean margins. In this study, we analyzed a three-year time-series of data sampled during 2011-2014 along the Kuroshio Current within the East China Sea (ECS) to investigate the seasonal pattern of carbonate chemistry and CO2 air-sea fluxes. Annually, the Kuroshio within the ECS operates as a net CO2 sink at approximately 1.3 mol C m-2 yr- 1, less than estimates over the ECS shelf (-1.8 mol C m- 2 yr- 1). The thermal control of pCO2 makes the Kuroshio a strong CO2 sink in winter, with a transition to net-neutral, or a weak CO2 source in summer. On an interannual basis, however, the seasonal CO2 air-sea fluxes in the Kuroshio may undergo shifts if warming conditions continue.