Four Decades of Trends and Drivers of Global Surface Ocean Acidification ...
The oceans are acidifying in response to the oceanic uptake of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere, yet the global-scale progression of this acidification has been poorly documented so far by observations. Here, we fill this gap and use an updated version of the in situ and satell...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
ETH Zurich
2023
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://dx.doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000624602 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/624602 |
| Summary: | The oceans are acidifying in response to the oceanic uptake of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere, yet the global-scale progression of this acidification has been poorly documented so far by observations. Here, we fill this gap and use an updated version of the in situ and satellite observation-based product OceanSODA-ETHZ to determine the trends and drivers of the surface ocean aragonite saturation state (Ωar) and pH = –log([H+]) (total scale) over the last four decades (1982–2021). In the global mean, Ωar and pH declined at rates of −0.071 ± 0.006 decade−1 and −0.0166 ± 0.0010 decade−1, respectively, with the errors of the trends largely reflecting the uncertainties in the reconstructed pH and Ωar fields. These global mean trends are driven primarily by the increase in surface ocean concentration of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in response to the uptake of anthropogenic CO2, but moderated by changes in natural DIC. Surface warming enhances the decrease in pH, accounting for ∼15% of ... : Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 37 (7) ... |
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