Current Findings on the Release of CO2 from the World’s Oceans
It has been determined that carbon dioxide (CO2) is closely related to the effects of global warming on the planet. The largest storage of CO2 is currently located in the oceans of the world. Scientists are studying the methods in which the water releases CO2 into the air, as this is an vital component to learn how we change the Earth’s climate with our use of fossil fuels.
A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of California at Davis may provide hints on how the relase is performed. When carbon dioxide is reaches the water’s surface, it is absorbed into the ocean and consumed by phytoplankton. When this organism dies, it lowers to the ocean floor to decompose. As this takes place the consumed CO2 is released into deepest areas of the ocean.
With global warming, glaciers and other chunks of ocean ice are rapidly melting. The cold water that results from this process sinks to the bottom of the oceans, taking the place of the CO2 ridden water. That water then rises to the top because it is warmer, releasing the carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere when it reaches the ocean surface, quickening the temperature changes surrouding the Earth.
The same process occurred at the completion of the Ice Age the world witnessed over 18,000 years ago. Today, the question is where and how rapidly is the release of carbon dioxide from the oceans happen? Most think it is a worldwide release that occurred over centuries. The researchers at UC think overwise.
Howard Spero, a geology professor at UC at Davis and his colleagues believe the release of CO2 that followed the latest warm period of weather was more of a big release than a small leak, and they think it occurred primarily in the Southern Hemisphere in the oceans around Anarctica.
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