As a large sink,
the ocean absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Ocean acidification in particular, caused as
the ocean absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, is a grave concern for stony corals, because it makes it harder for the animals to passively precipitate skeletons made of calcium carbonate, the same molecule found in antacids for heartburn and indigestion.
On Earth,
oceans absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and deposit it as carbonate rock.
Ocean acidification poses an added danger to corals and other sea animals that need calcium carbonate to build shells or skeletons.3, 11,12 As concentrations of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere rise,
the oceans absorb carbon dioxide and become more acidic.
The oceans absorb carbon dioxide, causing seawater to be 30 % more acidic than it was in pre-industrial times.
Not exact matches
Cross says that as the
oceans absorb more
carbon dioxide, the more acidic the water becomes, which hurts marine life and makes it harder for organisms to grow skeletons and build shells.
Some of the
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is
absorbed by water in
oceans and rivers.
These sensors could reveal patterns that help explain why the tropical Pacific emits
carbon dioxide, rather than
absorbing it like most of the rest of
ocean.
The world's largest
ocean is
absorbing carbon dioxide, and turning more acidic as a result, faster than expected
Rising anthropogenic, or human - caused,
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere may have up to twice the impact on coastal estuaries as it does in the
oceans because the human - caused CO2 lowers the ecosystem's ability to
absorb natural fluctuations of the greenhouse gas, a new study suggests.
Oceans are taking in about 90 percent of the excess heat created by human greenhouse gas emissions, but they're also
absorbing some of the
carbon dioxide (CO2) itself.
As humans emit more
carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, more of the gas is
absorbed by the
oceans, gradually making the water more acidic.
In addition, the
ocean has
absorbed 30 percent of the
carbon dioxide associated with human activities, lessening the climate effects of fossil fuel combustion.
As the climate changes, Southern
Ocean upwelling may increase, which could accelerate ice shelf melting, release more carbon into the atmosphere and limit the ocean's ability to absorb heat and carbon dioxide from the atmosp
Ocean upwelling may increase, which could accelerate ice shelf melting, release more
carbon into the atmosphere and limit the
ocean's ability to absorb heat and carbon dioxide from the atmosp
ocean's ability to
absorb heat and
carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
The quantity of human - generated
carbon dioxide, in billions of tons, that the
oceans have
absorbed.
As atmospheric
carbon dioxide increases, the greenhouse gas is
absorbed into
ocean water, making it more acidic.
Sydney researcher Ian Jones attracted a lot of interest with his innovative scheme to increase the capacity of the
ocean to
absorb carbon dioxide.
It all seemed so convenient: As our smokestacks and automobile tailpipes spewed ever more
carbon dioxide into the air, the
oceans absorbed the excess.
Oceans play a key role in mitigating climate change, in part because they
absorb about 25 % of global
carbon -
dioxide emissions from fossil - fuel burning and deforestation, he said.
In these areas, deep
ocean waters that are naturally rich in
carbon dioxide are upwelling and mixing with surface waters that are
absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
At higher temperatures, less of the gas is
absorbed, and the
ocean releases more
carbon dioxide into the air, contributing to a runaway greenhouse effect.
Researcher Michael O'Donnell, an ecologist at the University of Washington, has shown that
ocean acidification, a process in which
absorbing large amounts of
carbon dioxide lowers the pH of
oceans, is weakening mussels» byssal threads.
Acidity may impair movement Previous research has shown that when
carbon dioxide is
absorbed by the
ocean and it becomes more acidic, concentrations of calcium carbonate drop, and that hurts shellfish and corals, which use calcium carbonate to build shells and skeletons.
As the
ocean mass moves north, it
absorbs additional
carbon dioxide from decomposing organic matter in the water and sediments, increasing acidity.
When
carbon dioxide, CO2, from the atmosphere is
absorbed by the
ocean, it forms carbonic acid (the same thing that makes soda fizz), making the
ocean more acidic and decreasing the
ocean's pH. This increase in acidity makes it more difficult for many marine organisms to grow their shells and skeletons, and threatens coral reefs the world over.
Over the last few centuries, the
ocean has
absorbed huge amounts of the
carbon dioxide spewed into the atmosphere by human activities, such as burning fossil fuels.
The reason: the world's
oceans and forests, which scientists were counting on to help hold off catastrophic rises in
carbon dioxide, are already so full of CO2 that they are losing their ability to
absorb this climate change culprit.
And while
carbon dioxide is crucial for plant life, the
carbon balance on Earth is a delicate cycle, with
oceans and land able to
absorb only so much CO2.
Here, the
ocean -
carbon sink has increased,
absorbing more
carbon dioxide.
Since pre-industrial times, the world's
oceans have
absorbed 41 percent of the
carbon dioxide humans have released into the atmosphere.
He says the only answer may be immediate cuts in emissions of
carbon dioxide from burning of fossil fuels, which would curb the amount of bleaching and limit acidification of
oceans that results when they
absorb carbon dioxide.
As the
oceans absorb increasing amounts of
carbon dioxide from the atmosphere,
ocean acidification is expected to make life harder for many marine organisms, especially shellfish and other animals with shells or skeletons made of calcium carbonate.
One of the many downsides of too much
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is what happens when some of that CO2 is
absorbed by the
oceans.
For example, the new study notes that restoring whale populations could help increase the
ocean's capacity to
absorb climate - warming
carbon dioxide.
(The
ocean currently
absorbs roughly half of the greenhouse gases, primarily
carbon dioxide, that are released by human activity.)
Emissions of
carbon dioxide are already far higher than the forests and
oceans can
absorb.
With the
ocean absorbing more
carbon dioxide (CO2) over the past decade, less of the greenhouse gas is reaching the Earth's atmosphere.
This is a blow to some supporters of geo - engineering, who have suggested that one way to tackle climate change is large - scale seeding of the
oceans with iron to stimulate plankton to
absorb more
carbon dioxide.
Coastal portions of the world's
oceans, once believed to be a source of
carbon dioxide (CO2) to the atmosphere, are now thought to
absorb as much as two - thirds more
carbon than they emitted in the preindustrial age, researchers estimate.
Oceans have
absorbed up to 30 percent of human - made
carbon dioxide around the world, storing dissolved
carbon for hundreds of years.
Scientists knew that the
oceans had
absorbed some of the
carbon dioxide released from the increased global consumption of fossil fuels.
The
oceans have
absorbed approximately one third of human - produced CO2 emissions, dampening the effects of
carbon dioxide - driven greenhouse warming.
There would be more open
ocean, and cold water
absorbs carbon dioxide at a greater rate than warm water.
The
oceans are great at
absorbing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air, but when their deep waters are brought to the surface, the
oceans themselves can be a source of this prevalent greenhouse gas.
The
ocean, for instance,
absorbs some of the extra
carbon dioxide from the air.
If the Arctic
Ocean is losing ice at a greater rate than previously thought, won't this increase the rate at which
carbon dioxide is
absorbed?
Oceans have
absorbed about one - third of the excess
carbon dioxide spewed by the burning of fossil fuels.
The
ocean naturally
absorbs carbon dioxide from the air.
And the
oceans absorb a third of that
carbon dioxide, or approximately 22 million tons per day, in a process that Feely likens to adding
carbon to water to make soda.
The
ocean absorbs a third of
carbon dioxide (CO2) generated by the burning of fossil fuels — a priceless «service» reducing global warming.