Previous studies found large biases between individual observational and model estimates of historical ocean anthropogenic carbon uptake. We show that the largest bias between the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 (CMIP5) ensemble mean and between two observational estimates of ocean anthropogenic carbon is due to a difference in start date. After adjusting the CMIP5 and observational estimates to the 1791-1995 period, all three carbon uptake estimates agree to within 3Pg of C, about 4% of the total. The CMIP5 ensemble mean spatial bias compared to the observations is generally smaller than the observational error, apart from a negative bias in the Southern Ocean and a positive bias in the Southern Indian and Pacific Oceans compensating each other in the global mean. This dipole pattern is likely due to an equatorward and weak bias in the position of Southern Hemisphere westerlies and lack of mode and intermediate water ventilation.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:arizona.edu/oai:arizona.openrepository.com:10150/626555 |
| Date | 28 December 2017 |
| Creators | Bronselaer, Benjamin, Winton, Michael, Russell, Joellen, Sabine, Christopher L., Khatiwala, Samar |
| Contributors | Univ Arizona, Dept Geosci, Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory; Princeton NJ USA, Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory; Princeton NJ USA, Department of Geosciences; University of Arizona; Tucson AZ USA, NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory; Seattle WA USA, Department of Earth Sciences; University of Oxford; Oxford UK |
| Publisher | AMER GEOPHYSICAL UNION |
| Source Sets | University of Arizona |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Article |
| Rights | ©2017. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved. |
| Relation | http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/2017GL074435 |
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