Possible Effects of Ozone Depletion on the Global Carbon Cycle
The increase of UV-B radiation resulting from ozone depletion is considered to have damaging effects on marine ecosystems. A cutback of marine productivity would tend to reduce the oceanic uptake of atmospheric CO 2 . Box models of the global oceans based on the distribution of bomb-produced 14 C ar...
| Published in: | Radiocarbon |
|---|---|
| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
1992
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0033822200064079 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0033822200064079 |
| Summary: | The increase of UV-B radiation resulting from ozone depletion is considered to have damaging effects on marine ecosystems. A cutback of marine productivity would tend to reduce the oceanic uptake of atmospheric CO 2 . Box models of the global oceans based on the distribution of bomb-produced 14 C are used to evaluate the possible effects of ozone depletion on the atmospheric CO 2 concentration. The maximum effect presumably takes place if the ozone hole reduces the marine productivity to zero in the Antarctic Ocean. In a business-as-usual scenario of future CO 2 emissions, the atmospheric CO 2 partial pressure (pCO 2 ) would increase by an additional 37 μatm over the course of the next century. This increase corresponds to 4.6% of the projected atmospheric pCO 2 in the year 2090. However, if the damaging effect caused by the destruction of the stratospheric ozone layer is assumed to lower the productivity over the Antarctic Ocean by 10%, the atmospheric pCO 2 would rise by less than 3 μatm over the expected atmospheric level in the next century. |
|---|