Saturation of the Southern Ocean CO 2 Sink Due to Recent Climate Change
University of East Anglia · CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere · +7 more institutions
Abstract
Based on observed atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration and an inverse method, we estimate that the Southern Ocean sink of CO2 has weakened between 1981 and 2004 by 0.08 petagrams of carbon per year per decade relative to the trend expected from the large increase in atmospheric CO2. We attribute this weakening to the observed increase in Southern Ocean winds resulting from human activities, which is projected to continue in the future. Consequences include a reduction of the efficiency of the Southern Ocean sink of CO2 in the short term (about 25 years) and possibly a higher level of stabilization of atmospheric CO2 on a multicentury time scale.
Citation impact
- FWCI
- 49.41
- Percentile
- 100%
- References
- 18
Authors
12- CLCorinne Le QuéréCorresponding
University of East Anglia, CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, British Antarctic Survey, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory
- CRChristian Rödenbeck
University of East Anglia, CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, British Antarctic Survey, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory
- ETErik T. Buitenhuis
University of East Anglia, CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, British Antarctic Survey, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory
- TJT. J. Conway
University of East Anglia, CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, British Antarctic Survey, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory
- RLR. L. Langenfelds
University of East Anglia, CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, British Antarctic Survey, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory
Topics & keywords
- Sink (geography)
- Carbon sink
- Environmental science
- Carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere
- Carbon dioxide
- Climatology
- Climate change
- Saturation (graph theory)
- Life below water