A multiyear assessment of biological pertubations of CO2 in the Northeast Channel of the Gulf of Maine

The University of New Hampshire (UNH), in collaboration with the University of Maine at Orono (UMO) and the University of Montana, has been monitoring surface ocean dissolved carbon dioxide and oxygen in the Northeast Channel, at a site on the northeast flank, of the Gulf of Maine for the last several years. UMO has maintained a buoy at this site (Buoy N) since 2004, and UNH has deployed two instruments (the SAMI-CO₂ Sensor (Sunburst Sensors, LLC) and an Aanderraa Instrument Oxygen Optode 3835) since March 2008. The controls on the CO₂ system are examined to determine the dominating biological seasonal influences that occur alongside physical processes. We evaluate several approaches to isolate these factors and processes using the buoy data and following previous studies. Preliminary results suggest measurable interannual biochemical variability may be attributed to water mass dynamics at this site.