Thank you for your response, I was considering a reapplication of the Colorado State, atmospheric sodium lidar. (A reference here: http://lamar.colostate.edu/~lidar ) As this device is used as a ground based sensing device for Mesopheric atmospheric activity at 55 – 65 km elevation, it might be difficult.

With the loss of the L band yellow slot below this altitude may suggest it would simply require a slight detuning or retuning for a Na/Cl emission band. I only mention it in passing as it may offer a separate; but, valuable alternative tool for the future of marine research.

My apologies for not being clear, the tought I was trying to share was as the incoming UV, which I have read penetrates to over 40M, is absorbed, with the energy converted to IR by the increase in water molecule vibration which I suspect results in heating of the water or via increased collisions the emission of IR energy.

The question then returns to the basic physics if there is an increase in carbon molecules, ie: carbonic acid or calcium carbonate, near the surface, would these molecules tend to trap incoming solar energy in the upper 10-30 meters of the ocean and shade the deeper water?

CO2 in water does not have greenhouse blanket properties as in the atmosphere. infrared (thermal) radiation that is “trapped” by CO2 in atmosphere does not penetrate very far in seawater and is more related to the properties of water than small changes in water chemistry (like the amount of trace gases). Low salinity at the surface (as might be caused by rainfall or land runoff) can cause stratification leading to enhanced warming at the surface. Surface water warmed by the sun during the day might not be mixed down due to the buoyancy imparted by the low salinity.

The partial pressure of CO2 in seawater is related to both the temperature and salinity of the seawater, so chemists are interested in precise maps of surface salinity in order to better understand the fluxes of CO2 between the ocean and atmosphere.

As you may have surmised, wrt the question about dissolved CO2, is the relationship to ocean surface temperatures. I’m curious if it is possible that the CO2 could “trap” normal insolation near the surface resulting in spikes of salinity, similar to long term synoptic weather conditions of clear skies and “dry” high pressure centers.

It would be very useful to know if there could be a correlation to the atmospheric “thermal blanket” theory. Along the lines of a hypothesis of where the CO2 creates a strong inversion layer both concentrating insolation near the surface and sheilding the water column below, hence, increasing SSTs.

Check out: http://aquarius.nasa.gov/pdfs/LeVine_3Jun11b.pdf

David Levine is better trained than this sea-going oceanographer to answer the hypothetical question on other potential choices for remote sensing of ocean salinity.

Eric

I am curious as to why they chose to apply microwave as opposed to Lidar, is it due to the optical depth issue at sodium resonate frequency? If so could a harmonic frequency not work? Oh, and while you are on campaign, are you also sampling for dissolved carbonic acid?