Publication Date:
2018-10-30
Description:
Over the past 200 years ~50% of
the CO2 released to the atmosphere
via the burning of fossil-fuels or
changes in land-use (“anthropogenic
carbon”) has dissolved in the oceans.
This carbon sequestration by natural
processes has drastically reduced the
global warming effect of mankind’s CO2
emissions. However the dissolution of
anthropogenic CO2 in the future ocean
is likely to be reduced due to chemical
changes associated with higher CO2
levels and, possibly, due to changes in
ocean circulation associated with climate
change. Critical scientific issues
for prediction of future carbon sequestration
and hence future atmospheric
CO2 levels are the mechanisms underlying
ocean CO2 uptake, the regions of
the surface ocean that are responsible,
and the depth range within the ocean
in which the CO2 is being stored. This
information is also critical to understanding
the effects of CO2-induced
ocean acidification.
Type:
Article
,
NonPeerReviewed
Format:
text
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