A carbon cycle model with latitude dependence

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 atmo spheric 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.