OCEANIC CO₂ SYSTEM: AN EVALUATION OF TEN METHODS OF INVESTIGATION1

Abstract

By combining two or more of the parameters pH, carbonate alkalinity, total carbon dioxide, and partial pressure of carbon dioxide, six equations can be obtained to express the concentration of carbonic acid that include molecular carbon dioxide, ten equations for bicarbonate ion, and eleven equations for carbonate ion concentrations. When the present‐day analytical precision and the normal oceanic variances of the above four parameters are considered, the pH‐partial pressure of carbon dioxide combination is the most promising to study the oceanic CO 2 system.