| Summary: | 41 pages Over the past 250 years, the composition of Earth's atmosphere has changed as a result of anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases. For example, activities such as deforestation, agriculture, and the burning of fossil fuels have produced a 31% increase in the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide ([CO2]) since 1750 (IPCC 2001). Earth's atmosphere is linked to the oceans at the sea surface, such that alterations in atmospheric composition are reflected in the water. In particular, atmospheric CO2 exists in equilibrium with dissolved CO2 (CO2(aq)) in the oceans. As the atmospheric [CO2] increases, gas exchange with the oceans causes a concomitant increase in [CO2(aq)], with concentrations rising toward a new equilibrium value (Goudriaan 1993, Guinotte and Fabry 2008).
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