Estimates of anthropogenic CO2 concentration from repeated ocean measurements made decades apart
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....
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
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IFM-GEOMAR
2008
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| Online Access: | https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/15460/ https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/15460/1/K%C3%B6rtzinger%20Tanhua%20ifm-geomar-annual-report-2007-3.pdf http://www.geomar.de/fileadmin/content/service/presse/public-pubs/ifm-geomar-report-2007.pdf |
| Summary: | 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. |
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