Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and in Atlantic Ocean water

Abstract

An investigation of carbon dioxide partial pressures in the atmosphere and surface ocean conducted as part of a cooperative study under the general sponsorship of the International Geophysical Year is summarized. Results are given for about 470 hours of air analyses and 200 individual surface ocean water measurements made from 1957 to 1959 between 60°N and 58°S. Over the Atlantic Ocean, the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration is found to average 316 ppm by volume and to be quite uniform except for a minor increase toward the equator. The total carbon dioxide in the earth's atmosphere is estimated to be 2.41×1018g. In the equatorial region, the partial pressure of carbon dioxide appears to be higher in the surface water than in the atmosphere; in the higher latitudes it appears to be lower.