2026/07/08 by Daniel E. Sandborn, Brendan R. Carter, Mark J. Warner +1 · 1 voice
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Environmental Science · #Oceanographic and Atmospheric Processes #Marine and coastal ecosystems #Methane Hydrates and Related Phenomena
paper · pdf · doi:10.5194/gmd-19-5961-2026
openalex created_date 2026/07/08 · openalex publication_date 2026/07/08 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/09
Abstract. An implementation of Tracer-based Rapid Anthropogenic Carbon Estimation (TRACE), an algorithm for estimating anthropogenic carbon in the ocean, was produced using the Python coding language. TRACE is a transit time distribution approach intended to increase the accessibility of reliable and accurate anthropogenic carbon estimates. This algorithm produces estimates of ocean anthropogenic carbon as a function of user-supplied coordinates, time, seawater salinity, atmospheric carbon dioxide pathway, and optionally seawater temperature. We demonstrate the identical results of this implementation relative to its MATLAB predecessor, explore the sensitivity of anthropogenic carbon estimates to a newly-expanded range of available user input parameters, and suggest further lines of development for this software product as well as transient tracer-based ocean state estimation in general. Additionally, a new column integration routine was developed and deployed on anthropogenic carbon estimates generated from TRACE-Python when applied to the GLODAPv2.2016b gridded product temperature and salinity, yielding updated global and regional anthropogenic carbon inventories for the industrial era through the year 2500 along a range of atmospheric carbon dioxide trajectories. These inventories demonstrate satisfactory agreement with previous observation-based anthropogenic carbon inventories within the uncertainty of the estimate, demonstrating the skill of the TRACE method at the global level. This implementation of TRACE represents a step forward in accessibility to a wider user base, flexibility in user-specification of a greater number of estimation parameters, and skill as measured against other anthropogenic carbon estimates.