Monthly mean sea-air flux of CO2 from the FVCOM-NPZC model from 2003 to 2019

The data set is the monthly average sea-air flux of CO2 (FCO2) data from 2003 to 2019 output by the FVCOM-NPZC model. The FVCOM-NPZC model was initialized with the realistic forcing in 2003 for a three-year spin-up. A continuous run was then started from January 1, 2003 to December 31, 2019. For the FVCOM dynamical model, the river discharge information for the Changjiang River was taken from publicly available observational data from the Datong hydrometric station (http://yu-zhu.vicp.net/). The daily-mean heat fluxes were obtained from objectively analysed air–sea fluxes, and the 3-h wind stress data were obtained from the ERA-Interim reanalysis. The open boundary conditions, including the daily temperature, salinity and velocities at the Taiwan Strait, the western Pacific Ocean and the Japan/East Sea, were obtained from the hybrid coordinate ocean model. In the ecological model, inputs of nutrients, DIC, DOC, and POC from rivers are derived from historical river bulletins. For the Kuroshio open boundary, quarterly observational data from the PN transect are used. The DIC open boundary for the Taiwan Strait is calculated based on monthly pCO2 data from RS and climatological TA data. Other open boundaries utilize interpolated data obtained from multi-year survey data.