Will the Ocean Stop Absorbing Carbon Dioxide?
The Removal of Manmade Co2 from the Atmosphere by Seawater Is Clearly an Important Process. However, Researchers Now Suggest That the Ocean's Ability to Absorb...
The removal of manmade CO2 from the atmosphere by seawater is clearly an important process. However, researchers now suggest that the ocean's ability to absorb atmospheric CO2 might be declining. ... Researchers analysed existing CO2 and temperature data for the North Atlantic Ocean over the last three decades.
Can the ocean absorb carbon dioxide?
The Short Answer:
The ocean also absorbs carbon dioxide from Earth's atmosphere. The additional heat and carbon dioxide in the ocean can change the environment for the many plants and animals that live there.
Does the ocean have an unlimited ability to absorb carbon dioxide?
The oceans as a whole have a large capacity for absorbing CO2, but ocean mixing is too slow to have spread this additional CO2 deep into the ocean. As a result, ocean waters deeper than 500 meters (about 1,600 feet) have a large but still unrealized absorption capacity, said Scripps geochemist Ralph Keeling.
James Sterling reports on renewable energy developments, climate policy, ecological conservation, and green tech innovations around the globe.
