Abstract
A two-dimensional carbon cycle model is divided into three zones representing equatorial, middle and high latitude regions. The three zones are coupled together by a deep ocean meridional convective cell and atmospheric transport terms. The model is applied to the calculation of the dispersion of radiocarbon and tritium from nuclear weapons tests, to the calculation of the atmospheric record of bomb radiocarbon and to the calculation of the Mauna Loa record of atmospheric CO2. Calibrating on the basis of the Northern hemisphere bomb test data yields a model which has approximately twice the CO2 ocean uptake of the one-dimension box diffusion models calibrated on the basis of deep water equilibrium carbon 14.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Baes, C. F., Jr., Goeller, H. E., Olson, J. S., and Rotty, R. M.: 1977, ‘Carbon Dioxide and Climate: The Uncontrolled Experiment’,Am. Scientist,65, 310.
Broecker, W. S.: 1979, ‘A Revised Estimate for the Radiocarbon Age of North Atlantic Deep Water’,J. Geophys. Res. 84, 3218.
Broecker, W. S., Peng, T. H., Stuiver, M.: 1978, ‘An Estimate of the Upwelling Rate in the Equatorial Atlantic Base J.d on the Distribution of Bomb Radiocarbon’,J. Geophys. Res. 83, 6179.
Broecker, W. S., Takahashi, T., Simpson, H. J., and Peng, T. H.: 1979, ‘The Fate of Fossil Fuel CO2 and the Global Carbon Budget’,Science 206, 409.
Burt, J. E. and Viecelli, J. A.: 1980, ‘Magnitude of Ocean Temperature Feedback Effects in a Coupled Carbon Budget-Energy Balance Model for the Period 1800–2100’,Climatic Change 2, 267.
Dreisigacker, E. and Roether, W.: 1978, ‘Tritium and90Sr in North Atlantic Surface Water’,Earth and Planetary Science Letters 38, 301.
Hoffert, M. I., Wey, Y-C., Callegari, A. J., and Broecker, W. S.: 1979, ‘Atmospheric Response to Deep Sea Injections of Fossil Fuel Carbon Dioxide’,Climatic Change 2, 53.
Hubbert, M. K.: 1974, ‘World Energy Resources’,10th Commonwealth Mining and Metallurgical Congress, Opening Ceremony and Plenary Sessions, Published by the General Committee, 10th Commonwealth Mining and Metallurgical Congress 555 Booth Street, Ottawa K1A0G1, Canada.
Idso, S. B.: 1980, The Climatological Significance of a Doubling of Earth's Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Concentration,Science 207, 1462.
Keeling, C. D.: 1973, ‘Industrial Production of Carbon Dioxide from Fossil Fuels and Limestone’,Tellus 25, 174.
Keeling, C. D.: 1973, ‘The Carbon Dioxide Cycle: Reservoir Models to Depict the Exchange of Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide with Oceans and Land Plants’, S. I. Rasool (ed.), inChemistry of the Lower Atmosphere, Plenum Press, New York.
Keeling, C. D., Adams, J. A., Jr., Ekdahl, C. A., Jr., Guenther, P. R.: 1976, ‘Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Variations at the South Pole’,Tellus 28, 552.
Keeling, C. D., Bacastow, R. B., Bainbridge, A. E., Ekdahl, C. A., Jr., Guenther, P. R., and Waterman, L. S.: 1976, ‘Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Variations at Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii’,Tellus 28, 538.
Killough, G. G.: 1977, ‘A Diffusion-Type Model of the Global Carbon Cycle for the Estimation of Dose to the World Population from Releases of Carbon-14 to the Atmosphere’, Publication No. 1036, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 89.
Lugo, A. E. and Brown, S.: 1980: ‘Ecological Issues Associated with the Interpretation of Atmospheric CO2 Data’, in S. Brown, A. E. Lugo, and G. Liegel (eds.),The Role of Tropical Forests on the World Carbon Cycle, U.S. Department of Energy Report CONF-800350, UC-11.
Newell, R. E. and Dopplick, T. G.: 1979, ‘Questions Concerning the Possible Influence of Anthropogenic CO2 on Atmospheric Temperature’,J. Appl. Meteor. 18, 822.
Oeschger, H. Siegenthaler, U., Schotterer, U., and Gugelmann, A.: 1975, ‘A Box Diffusion Model to Study the Carbon Dioxide Exchange in Nature,’Tellus 27, 168.
Östlund, H. G., Dorsey, H. G., and Rooth, C. G.: 1974: ‘GEOSECS North Atlantic Radiocarbon and Tritium Results’,Earth and Planetary Science Letters 23, 69.
Östlund, H. G., Dorsey, H. G., and Brescher, R.: 1976, ‘GEOSECS Atlantic Radiocarbon and Tritium Results’,Tritium Laboratory Data Report No. 5, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Miami, Miami, Florida.
Östlund, H. G., Brescher, R., Oleson, R., and Ferguson, M. J.: 1979, ‘GEOSECS Pacific Radiocarbon and Tritium Results’,Tritium Laboratory Data Report No. 8, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Miami, Miami, Florida.
Östlund, H. G., Brescher, R., Oleson, R., and Ferguson, M. J.: 1980, ‘GEOSECS Indian Ocean Radiocarbon and Tritium results’,Tritium Laboratory Data Report No. 9, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Miami, Miami, Florida.
Rotty, R. M.: 1976, ‘Global Carbon Dioxide Production from Fossil Fuel and Cement, AD 1950–AD 2000’, Office of Naval Res. Conf. on the Fate of Fossil Fuel Carbonates, Honolulu, Hawaii.
Rotty, R. M., and Marland, G.: 1980, ‘Constraints on Fossil Fuel Use'’,Proceedings of Energy/Climate Interactions Workshop, Munster, Germany.
Stuiver, M.: 1978, ‘Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide and Carbon Reservoir Changes’,Science 199, 253.
Tans, P. P., de Jong, A. F. M., and Mook, W. G.: 1979, ‘Natural Atmospheric144C Variation and the Suess Effect’,Nature 280, 826.
Weiss, W. and Roether, W.: 1980, ‘The Rates of Tritium Input to the World Oceans’,Earth and Planetary Science Letters 49, 435.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory under contract No. W-7405-ENG-78.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Viecelli, J.A., Ellsaesser, H.W. & Burt, J.E. A carbon cycle model with latitude dependence. Climatic Change 3, 281–302 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02423220
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02423220