Earth, Atmosphere & Environment Sciences
Title : | The Bay of Bengal; a source or sink for carbon dioxide? |
Area of research : | Earth, Atmosphere & Environment Sciences |
Focus area : | Oceanography, Climate Science |
Principal Investigator : | Dr. Sudhira Ranjan Bhadra, Indian Institute Of Science, Bangalore, Karnataka |
Timeline Start Year : | 2024 |
Timeline End Year : | 2026 |
Contact info : | sudhirabhadra@gmail.com |
Details
Executive Summary : | Earth's climate is primarily influenced by the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (pCO2) and periodic changes in solar insolation. The partitioning of CO2 between the atmosphere and ocean, controlled by seawater circulation and carbonate chemistry (pH, alkalinity, and DIC), modulates pCO2 on Glacial-Interglacial (G-IG) time scales. The Bay of Bengal (BoB) is strategically located in the tropics, but its role as a source or sink for CO2 remains unexplored. The study aims to create the first long-term record of variation in surface-ocean pH to quantify the direction and flux of CO2 exchange flux in the northern Indian Ocean. Trace element and Boron isotopic ratio of surface dwelling planktic foraminifera will be used for paleoclimate reconstruction. The study aims to determine the residual absorbance capacity of tropical oceans to buffer atmospheric CO2 rise. Atmospheric CO2 has fluctuated by ~100 ppm at G-IG time scales during the Pleistocene due to CO2 storage in the deep ocean. The Southern Ocean has been critically explored as a short-term CO2 sink, but the role of the tropical oceans in controlling the absorbance capacity is still not well understood. To predict the future, it is crucial to quantify the past and determine the CO2 absorbance capacity and exchange flux of CO2 to/from BoB. |
Organizations involved