====== Oceanic CO2 absorption ======

Estimates for the amount of human-generated CO<sub>2</sub> absorbed by the oceans is estimated at around 30 > 40%. However. the processes which govern the rate of absorption are extremely complex and poorly understood.

Examples:

• As the ocean warms, its capacity to absorb CO<sub>2 </sub>//decreases//, tending to release pre-dissolved gases as the temperature rises.

• Warmer oceans lead to increasingly unstable weather patterns and windspeeds which mean higher waves and more sea-spray bubbles - affecting the rate of absorption (and release) of CO<sub>2</sub>

• As the temperature rises, sea plants and microorganisms which absorb CO<sub>2</sub> become more prolific.

Recent measurements of oceanic CO<sub>2 </sub>// have not followed the 'expected' rates// - so the carbon-sink model must be inaccurate in some as-yet-unknown way(s).

>__Despite the importance of the ocean carbon sink to climate, our understanding of the causes of its interannual‐to‐decadal variability remains limited.__ This hinders our ability to attribute its past behavior and project its future. A key period of interest is the 1990s, when the ocean carbon sink did not grow as expected.\\ \\  Source : [[https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2019AV000149|AGU Advances]]

Further reading [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_storage_of_carbon_dioxide|Wikipedia]]

//Note: //The lack of understanding of this important aspect of global CO<sub>2</sub> balance<sub> </sub>make the construction of accurate climate models more difficult.

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Also see : [[content:earth_sciences:marine_calcium_balance]]

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