Establishing fluxes of carbon dioxide and a transect of pCO2 during the late fall of precipitation driven Northern fjord

Senior thesis written for Oceanography 445

[author abstract] As atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) continues to increase beyond 400 ppm, the concerns of how and where the anthropogenic CO2 will cause drastic effects is under intense scrutiny. While the effects on oceanic biogeochemistry is well understood, the exchanges between the ocean and atmosphere are not, despite the understanding that the oceans are sinks of the anthropogenic CO2. This study investigated the methodology of measurements and interannual variability of a high latitude, precipitation driven fjord on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. A map of carbon fluxes and gradients of Muchalat Inlet in Nootka Sound was developed using hand collected surface samples in combination with a CTD transect. This method combination better developed a picture of this fjord after a warm summer anomaly in the late autumn/early winter. The data revealed a variation of efflux and influx dependent upon both location within the fjord and the external forces acting on the circulation of fjordal waters.

University of Washington School of Oceanography