Uncertainties in wind speed dependent CO2 transfer velocities due to airflow distortion at anemometer sites on ships

Data from research vessels and merchant ships are used to estimate ocean CO2 uptake via parameterizations of the gas transfer velocity (k) and measurements of the difference between the concentration of CO2 in the ocean (pCO2sw) and atmosphere (pCO2atm) and of wind speed. Gas transfer velocities estimated using wind speed dependent parameterisations may be in error due to air flow distortion by the ship's hull and superstructure introducing biases into the measured wind speed. The effect of airflow distortion on estimates of the transfer velocity was examined by modelling the airflow around the three-dimensional geometries of the research vessels Hakuho Maru and Mirai, using the Large Eddy Simulation code GERRIS. For airflows within ±45° of the bow the maximum bias was +16%. For wind speed of 10 m s−1 to 15 m s−1, a +16% bias in wind speed would cause an overestimate in the calculated value of k of 30% to 50%, depending on which k parameterisation is used. This is due to the propagation of errors when using quadratic or cubic parameterizations. Recommendations for suitable anemometer locations on research vessels are given. The errors in transfer velocity may be much larger for typical merchant ships, as the anemometers are generally not as well-exposed as those on research vessels.