virtual_flux_of_alkalinity_expressed_as_mole_equivalent_into_sea_water mol m-2 s-1 [M2MS] The virtual flux of alkalinity expressed as mole equivalent into sea water, i.e. the flux that represents the dilution or concentration of the constituent by surface freshwater fluxes (precipitation, evaporation, runoff, sea ice melt and freezing) in a model in which these freshwater fluxes do not change the volume of sea water. Positive values increase the concentration in sea water.
In accordance with common usage in geophysical disciplines, "flux" implies per unit area, called "flux density" in physics.
The phrase "expressed_as" is used in the construction "A_expressed_as_B", where B is a chemical constituent of A. It means that the quantity indicated by the standard name is calculated solely with respect to the B contained in A, neglecting all other chemical constituents of A.