2024-10-25 15:57:00
The thin, cold surface layer of the ocean increases carbon uptake -ESA
MADRID, 25 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
New research reveals that the “cold skin” of the ocean it allows oceans to absorb more atmospheric carbon dioxide than previously believed.
These findings could improve global carbon assessments and shape more effective emissions reduction policies, according to ESA, which partially funded the research.
The global ocean absorbs about a quarter of carbon emissions from human activities, which is extremely important to help curb climate change. However, on the other hand, this advantage comes at a cost: as oceans absorb more carbon, their waters become more acidic, which puts the health of marine ecosystems at risk.
Improving our understanding of the complex processes that drive carbon fluxes between sea and air and refining estimates of the amount of carbon that global oceans sequester are crucial to making accurate carbon budget assessments and informed climate action .
Scientists have thought that ocean skin (a 0.01mm strip of surface water, thinner than a human hair, which is typically a little cooler than the water beneath) it should increase the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed from the atmosphere.
This is because colder water is more efficient at absorbing carbon dioxide. The concentration of gas between this thin upper layer and the water, about 2 mm deeper, is what controls the exchange of gases between the atmosphere and the ocean. However, until now this value has never been widely measured at sea.
Through the research, scientists from the University of Exeter, Plymouth Marine Laboratory and the University of Southampton in the UK evaluated in situ measurements taken by ships as they crossed the Atlantic Ocean.
The measurements were made using flow systems that detected small differences in carbon dioxide in the air as it swirled toward the ocean surface and away again. along with accurate temperature readings of the ocean’s extremely thin skin.
Based on these measurements, the new results, published today in the journal Nature geoscienceconfirm that ocean skin temperature increases carbon uptake.
The findings suggest that the ocean absorbs about 7% more carbon dioxide each year than previously thought, due to the surface’s cold skin. It may not seem like much, but if integrated throughout the oceans, this will further absorb carbon It is equivalent to one and a half times the carbon captured by the annual growth of Amazon forests.
Currently, global estimates of carbon dioxide fluxes between air and sea often ignore the importance of temperature differences in the near-surface layer.
Daniel Ford, of the University of Exeter, said in a statement: “Our results provide measurements that confirm our theoretical understanding of carbon dioxide fluxes at the ocean surface.”
“With the COP29 climate change conference taking place next month, this work highlights the importance of the oceans, but should also help us improve global carbon assessments used to guide emissions reductions.”
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