Meridional overturning circulation conveys fast acidification to the deep Atlantic Ocean
Since the Industrial Revolution, the North Atlantic Ocean has been accumulating anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) and experiencing ocean acidification, that is, an increase in the concentration of hydrogen ions (a reduction in pH) and a reduction in the concentration of carbonate ions. The latter c...
Published in: | Nature |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | unknown |
Published: |
2018
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/77117/ https://doi.org/10.1038/nature25493 |
id |
ftuniveastangl:oai:ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk:77117 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftuniveastangl:oai:ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk:77117 2023-06-06T11:57:07+02:00 Meridional overturning circulation conveys fast acidification to the deep Atlantic Ocean Perez, Fiz F. Fontela, Marcos García-Ibáñez, Maribel I. Mercier, Herlé Velo, Anton Lherminier, Pascale Zunino, Patricia De La Paz, Mercedes Alonso-Pérez, Fernando Guallart, Elisa F. Padin, Xose A. 2018-02-22 https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/77117/ https://doi.org/10.1038/nature25493 unknown Perez, Fiz F., Fontela, Marcos, García-Ibáñez, Maribel I., Mercier, Herlé, Velo, Anton, Lherminier, Pascale, Zunino, Patricia, De La Paz, Mercedes, Alonso-Pérez, Fernando, Guallart, Elisa F. and Padin, Xose A. (2018) Meridional overturning circulation conveys fast acidification to the deep Atlantic Ocean. Nature, 554 (7693). pp. 515-518. ISSN 0028-0836 doi:10.1038/nature25493 Article PeerReviewed 2018 ftuniveastangl https://doi.org/10.1038/nature25493 2023-04-13T22:32:14Z Since the Industrial Revolution, the North Atlantic Ocean has been accumulating anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) and experiencing ocean acidification, that is, an increase in the concentration of hydrogen ions (a reduction in pH) and a reduction in the concentration of carbonate ions. The latter causes the 'aragonite saturation horizon' - below which waters are undersaturated with respect to a particular calcium carbonate, aragonite - to move to shallower depths (to shoal), exposing corals to corrosive waters. Here we use a database analysis to show that the present rate of supply of acidified waters to the deep Atlantic could cause the aragonite saturation horizon to shoal by 1,000-1,700 metres in the subpolar North Atlantic within the next three decades. We find that, during 1991-2016, a decrease in the concentration of carbonate ions in the Irminger Sea caused the aragonite saturation horizon to shoal by about 10-15 metres per year, and the volume of aragonite-saturated waters to reduce concomitantly. Our determination of the transport of the excess of carbonate over aragonite saturation ((xc)[CO3(2-)]) - an indicator of the availability of aragonite to organisms - by the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation shows that the present-day transport of carbonate ions towards the deep ocean is about 44 per cent lower than it was in preindustrial times. We infer that a doubling of atmospheric anthropogenic CO2 levels - which could occur within three decades according to a 'business-as-usual scenario' for climate change - could reduce the transport of (xc)[CO3(2-)] by 64-79 per cent of that in preindustrial times, which could severely endanger cold-water coral habitats. The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation would also export this acidified deep water southwards, spreading corrosive waters to the world ocean. Article in Journal/Newspaper North Atlantic Ocean acidification University of East Anglia: UEA Digital Repository Irminger Sea ENVELOPE(-34.041,-34.041,63.054,63.054) Nature 554 7693 515 518 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of East Anglia: UEA Digital Repository |
op_collection_id |
ftuniveastangl |
language |
unknown |
description |
Since the Industrial Revolution, the North Atlantic Ocean has been accumulating anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) and experiencing ocean acidification, that is, an increase in the concentration of hydrogen ions (a reduction in pH) and a reduction in the concentration of carbonate ions. The latter causes the 'aragonite saturation horizon' - below which waters are undersaturated with respect to a particular calcium carbonate, aragonite - to move to shallower depths (to shoal), exposing corals to corrosive waters. Here we use a database analysis to show that the present rate of supply of acidified waters to the deep Atlantic could cause the aragonite saturation horizon to shoal by 1,000-1,700 metres in the subpolar North Atlantic within the next three decades. We find that, during 1991-2016, a decrease in the concentration of carbonate ions in the Irminger Sea caused the aragonite saturation horizon to shoal by about 10-15 metres per year, and the volume of aragonite-saturated waters to reduce concomitantly. Our determination of the transport of the excess of carbonate over aragonite saturation ((xc)[CO3(2-)]) - an indicator of the availability of aragonite to organisms - by the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation shows that the present-day transport of carbonate ions towards the deep ocean is about 44 per cent lower than it was in preindustrial times. We infer that a doubling of atmospheric anthropogenic CO2 levels - which could occur within three decades according to a 'business-as-usual scenario' for climate change - could reduce the transport of (xc)[CO3(2-)] by 64-79 per cent of that in preindustrial times, which could severely endanger cold-water coral habitats. The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation would also export this acidified deep water southwards, spreading corrosive waters to the world ocean. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Perez, Fiz F. Fontela, Marcos García-Ibáñez, Maribel I. Mercier, Herlé Velo, Anton Lherminier, Pascale Zunino, Patricia De La Paz, Mercedes Alonso-Pérez, Fernando Guallart, Elisa F. Padin, Xose A. |
spellingShingle |
Perez, Fiz F. Fontela, Marcos García-Ibáñez, Maribel I. Mercier, Herlé Velo, Anton Lherminier, Pascale Zunino, Patricia De La Paz, Mercedes Alonso-Pérez, Fernando Guallart, Elisa F. Padin, Xose A. Meridional overturning circulation conveys fast acidification to the deep Atlantic Ocean |
author_facet |
Perez, Fiz F. Fontela, Marcos García-Ibáñez, Maribel I. Mercier, Herlé Velo, Anton Lherminier, Pascale Zunino, Patricia De La Paz, Mercedes Alonso-Pérez, Fernando Guallart, Elisa F. Padin, Xose A. |
author_sort |
Perez, Fiz F. |
title |
Meridional overturning circulation conveys fast acidification to the deep Atlantic Ocean |
title_short |
Meridional overturning circulation conveys fast acidification to the deep Atlantic Ocean |
title_full |
Meridional overturning circulation conveys fast acidification to the deep Atlantic Ocean |
title_fullStr |
Meridional overturning circulation conveys fast acidification to the deep Atlantic Ocean |
title_full_unstemmed |
Meridional overturning circulation conveys fast acidification to the deep Atlantic Ocean |
title_sort |
meridional overturning circulation conveys fast acidification to the deep atlantic ocean |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/77117/ https://doi.org/10.1038/nature25493 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-34.041,-34.041,63.054,63.054) |
geographic |
Irminger Sea |
geographic_facet |
Irminger Sea |
genre |
North Atlantic Ocean acidification |
genre_facet |
North Atlantic Ocean acidification |
op_relation |
Perez, Fiz F., Fontela, Marcos, García-Ibáñez, Maribel I., Mercier, Herlé, Velo, Anton, Lherminier, Pascale, Zunino, Patricia, De La Paz, Mercedes, Alonso-Pérez, Fernando, Guallart, Elisa F. and Padin, Xose A. (2018) Meridional overturning circulation conveys fast acidification to the deep Atlantic Ocean. Nature, 554 (7693). pp. 515-518. ISSN 0028-0836 doi:10.1038/nature25493 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1038/nature25493 |
container_title |
Nature |
container_volume |
554 |
container_issue |
7693 |
container_start_page |
515 |
op_container_end_page |
518 |
_version_ |
1767965096841052160 |