Publications [#355584] of Gabriel G. Katul
Papers Published
- Gu, Y; Katul, GG; Cassar, N, The Intensifying Role of High Wind Speeds on Air-Sea Carbon Dioxide Exchange,
Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 48 no. 5
(March, 2021) [doi]
(last updated on 2023/06/01)Abstract:
While it has been known that wave breaking and bubble generation at high wind speeds enhance air-sea carbon dioxide (CO2) exchange rates (F), quantification of their contribution at the global scale remains a formidable challenge. There is urgency to make progress on this issue as a significant uptick in both magnitude and frequency of high wind events (HW) has been documented over the last 3 decades. Using a wind-wave dependent expression for gas transfer velocity (k) that explicitly considers bubbles and a widely used wind-only parameterization, the spatial pattern of k at high winds can be explained by sea surface temperature distribution. The HW, which represent some 3% of wind conditions, contribute disproportionally to the global F (18%) with an increasing trend. Approximately 50% of the global F at high winds is attributed to bubble contribution. The findings are of significance to quantifying CO2 transfer to the ocean interior.