Impacts of winter storms on air-sea gas exchange

The objective of this study is to investigate air-sea gas exchange during winter storms, using field measurements from Ocean Station Papa in the Northeast Pacific (50 degrees N, 145 degrees W). We show that increasing gas transfer rates are coincident with increasing winds and deepening depth of bubble penetration, and that this process depends on sea state. Wave-breaking is shown to be an important factor in the gas transfer velocity during the peaks of the storms, increasing the flux rates by up to 20%. Gas transfer rates and concentrations can exhibit asymmetry, reflecting a sudden increase with the onset of a storm, and gradual recovery stages.