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The North Atlantic is the most important sink for atmospheric CO₂ although there still remain uncertainties about the total amount stored by this region and the contribution of the anthropogenic CO₂ (C_ANT) that is exchanged between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. During the P₃A₂ cruise performed in October 2008 throughout the oceanic area covered by the Gulf of Cádiz and the Strait of Gibraltar, which channelizes the water exchange between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, extensive measurements of the carbon system parameters (pH, total alkalinity and total inorganic carbon) and others related (dissolved oxygen and nutrients) were carried out to analyze their distribution in the area. In order to study the C_ANT spatial variability, three observational methods for C_ANT concentration assessment (φC_T°, ∆C* and TrOCA) were applied. The three water masses identified in the area, North …