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. 2022 Jul 26;17(7):e0271875.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0271875. eCollection 2022.

Inventory of water masses and carbonate system from Brazilian's northeast coast: Monitoring ocean acidification

Carlos Augusto Ramos E Silva  1   2   3 , Nicole Silva Caliman Monteiro  1 , Luciana Miranda Cavalcante  4 , Waldemar Tavares Junior  4 , Maria Eulália Rocha Carneiro  4 , Flavo Elano Soares de Souza  5 , Carlos Alexandre Borges Garcia  6 , Raimundo Nonato Damasceno  3 , Anderson de Araújo Rocha  3
Affiliations

Inventory of water masses and carbonate system from Brazilian's northeast coast: Monitoring ocean acidification

Carlos Augusto Ramos E Silva et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

This manuscript presents an inventory of the carbonate system from the main water masses comprising the marine current system on Brazil's northeast coast (South Atlantic Ocean). For this purpose, four transects were conducted with an approximate length of 357 km (each one) through the platform and continental slope of the Sergipe-Alagoas sedimentary basin. Water samples were then collected in vertical profiles measuring from 5 to 1,799 meters depth, totaling 34 stations. Total alkalinity, calcium, and total boron were obtained analytically from these samples and by relationships with salinity. Speciation and concentration of the carbonate system were obtained by means of thermodynamic modeling. The results revealed that the empirical models used to calculate the concentrations of TA, calcium and total boron showed relevant variation when compared to the analytical values (TA: 5.0-6.5%; Ca: 0.4-4.8%; BT: 7.0-18.9%). However, the speciation and concentration of the carbonate system (CA, DIC, [Formula: see text], CO2(aq), ΩCalc, and ΩArag) obtained from the empirical values of TA, calcium and total boron did not differ significantly from those obtained analytically (0.0-6.1%). On the other hand, the parameters of pH, [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], CO2(aq), ρCO2, ΩCalc, and ΩArag varied significantly within the different water masses (p < 0.05). This study supports and encourages acidification monitoring projects in the South Atlantic Ocean, based on modeling the carbonate system parameters generated in real-time.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have read the journal’s policy and declare the following competing interests: This study and the MARSEAL Project were supported logistically and financially by PETROBRAS/CENPES. This does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Reference map of the study site.
Northeastern continental margin of Brazil, within the Sergipe–Alagoas sedimentary basin. Blue shades, local depth; yellow lines, sampling transects A, B, C, and D; blue line, São Francisco river; dark green filled shape, Brazilian states that are adjacent to transects.
Fig 2
Fig 2. T-S diagram indicating the distinct water masses from the studied area (maritime sedimentary SEAL basin).
Fig 3
Fig 3. Temperature, Salinity, pH, and Normalized Total Alkalinity (NTA) of the sampling transects, from the internal platform to the abyssal plain.
Fig 4
Fig 4. Aragonite saturation state (S-Aragonite), carbon dioxide, total dissolved carbon (DIC), carbonate, and calcite saturation state (S-Calcite) from sampling transects: From the internal platform to the abyssal plain.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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