Projected climate change impact on oceanic acidification
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Anthropogenic CO<sub>2 </sub>uptake by the ocean decreases the pH of seawater, leading to an 'acidification' which may have potential detrimental consequences on marine organisms <abbrgrp><abbr bid=&quo...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2006-06-01
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| Series: | Carbon Balance and Management |
| Online Access: | http://www.cbmjournal.com/content/1/1/2 |
| _version_ | 1818062755672883200 |
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| author | McNeil Ben I Matear Richard J |
| author_facet | McNeil Ben I Matear Richard J |
| author_sort | McNeil Ben I |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Anthropogenic CO<sub>2 </sub>uptake by the ocean decreases the pH of seawater, leading to an 'acidification' which may have potential detrimental consequences on marine organisms <abbrgrp><abbr bid="B1">1</abbr></abbrgrp>. Ocean warming or circulation alterations induced by climate change has the potential to slowdown the rate of acidification of ocean waters by decreasing the amount of CO<sub>2 </sub>uptake by the ocean <abbrgrp><abbr bid="B2">2</abbr></abbrgrp>. However, a recent study showed that climate change affected the decrease in pH insignificantly <abbrgrp><abbr bid="B3">3</abbr></abbrgrp>. Here, we examine the sensitivity of future oceanic acidification to climate change feedbacks within a coupled atmosphere-ocean model and find that ocean warming dominates the climate change feedbacks.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Our results show that the direct decrease in pH due to ocean warming is approximately equal to but opposite in magnitude to the indirect increase in pH associated with ocean warming (ie reduced DIC concentration of the upper ocean caused by lower solubility of CO<sub>2</sub>).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>As climate change feedbacks on pH approximately cancel, future oceanic acidification will closely follow future atmospheric CO<sub>2 </sub>concentrations. This suggests the only way to slowdown or mitigate the potential biological consequences of future ocean acidification is to significantly reduce fossil-fuel emissions of CO<sub>2 </sub>to the atmosphere.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T14:09:15Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-feee89795713410781565fd01d2f1417 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1750-0680 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T14:09:15Z |
| publishDate | 2006-06-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Carbon Balance and Management |
| spelling | doaj.art-feee89795713410781565fd01d2f14172022-12-22T01:45:33ZengBMCCarbon Balance and Management1750-06802006-06-0111210.1186/1750-0680-1-2Projected climate change impact on oceanic acidificationMcNeil Ben IMatear Richard J<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Anthropogenic CO<sub>2 </sub>uptake by the ocean decreases the pH of seawater, leading to an 'acidification' which may have potential detrimental consequences on marine organisms <abbrgrp><abbr bid="B1">1</abbr></abbrgrp>. Ocean warming or circulation alterations induced by climate change has the potential to slowdown the rate of acidification of ocean waters by decreasing the amount of CO<sub>2 </sub>uptake by the ocean <abbrgrp><abbr bid="B2">2</abbr></abbrgrp>. However, a recent study showed that climate change affected the decrease in pH insignificantly <abbrgrp><abbr bid="B3">3</abbr></abbrgrp>. Here, we examine the sensitivity of future oceanic acidification to climate change feedbacks within a coupled atmosphere-ocean model and find that ocean warming dominates the climate change feedbacks.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Our results show that the direct decrease in pH due to ocean warming is approximately equal to but opposite in magnitude to the indirect increase in pH associated with ocean warming (ie reduced DIC concentration of the upper ocean caused by lower solubility of CO<sub>2</sub>).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>As climate change feedbacks on pH approximately cancel, future oceanic acidification will closely follow future atmospheric CO<sub>2 </sub>concentrations. This suggests the only way to slowdown or mitigate the potential biological consequences of future ocean acidification is to significantly reduce fossil-fuel emissions of CO<sub>2 </sub>to the atmosphere.</p>http://www.cbmjournal.com/content/1/1/2 |
| spellingShingle | McNeil Ben I Matear Richard J Projected climate change impact on oceanic acidification Carbon Balance and Management |
| title | Projected climate change impact on oceanic acidification |
| title_full | Projected climate change impact on oceanic acidification |
| title_fullStr | Projected climate change impact on oceanic acidification |
| title_full_unstemmed | Projected climate change impact on oceanic acidification |
| title_short | Projected climate change impact on oceanic acidification |
| title_sort | projected climate change impact on oceanic acidification |
| url | http://www.cbmjournal.com/content/1/1/2 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mcneilbeni projectedclimatechangeimpactonoceanicacidification AT matearrichardj projectedclimatechangeimpactonoceanicacidification |