Uptake of atmospheric CO2 is particularly effective in the Barents Sea (BS) and North Sea (NS) due to the subsequent transport to the deep ocean by the through flow of Atlantic Water which makes the absorbed carbon to be isolated from the surface-ocean-atmosphere-system for an extended period of time.Here we synthesize the results of three studies dealing (directly or indirectly) with the variability of the air-sea CO2 flux in the two regions.