Articles | Volume 21, issue 10
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-8089-2021
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-8089-2021
Research article
 | 
26 May 2021
Research article |  | 26 May 2021

Uncertainties in eddy covariance air–sea CO2 flux measurements and implications for gas transfer velocity parameterisations

Yuanxu Dong, Mingxi Yang, Dorothee C. E. Bakker, Vassilis Kitidis, and Thomas G. Bell

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Cited articles

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Short summary
Eddy covariance (EC) is the most direct method for measuring air–sea CO2 flux from ships. However, uncertainty in EC air–sea CO2 fluxes has not been well quantified. Here we show that with the state-of-the-art gas analysers, instrumental noise no longer contributes significantly to the CO2 flux uncertainty. Applying an appropriate averaging timescale (1–3 h) and suitable air–sea CO2 fugacity threshold (at least 20 µatm) to EC flux data enables an optimal analysis of the gas transfer velocity.
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