Effect of wind on CO2exchange across the sea surface

Large quantities of CO2 pass through the sea-air reservoir in short geological times. The movement of CO3 within this reservoir is partly controlled by the slowness of exchange across the sea surface. The net flux at a given place on the oceans depends on a combination of partial pressure difference and the time integral of the wind velocity squared. When the oceans are assessed by latitude for the wind factor it is found that most of the CO2 exchange takes place in the southern oceans in both seasons. The chemical reactivity of CO2 does not increase the exchange rate of this gas over what would be expected from purely physical considerations. This reactivity does increase the buffering capacity of sea water by a factor of 13. Bubbles complicate the sea-air gas exchange process. They are much less important for CO2 than for other gases.