Impact of Anthropogenic CO2on the CaCO3System in the Oceans

Rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations over the past two centuries have led to greater CO2uptake by the oceans. This acidification process has changed the saturation state of the oceans with respect to calcium carbonate (CaCO3) particles. Here we estimate the in situ CaCO3dissolution...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2004-07, Vol.305 (5682), p.362-366
Main Authors: Feely, Richard A., Sabine, Christopher L., Lee, Kitack, Berelson, Will, Kleypas, Joanie, Fabry, Victoria J., Millero, Frank J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aragonite
Atmospherics
Calcite
Carbon dioxide
Carbonates
Dissolution
Oceans
Sea water
Sediments
Surface water
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Summary:Rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations over the past two centuries have led to greater CO2uptake by the oceans. This acidification process has changed the saturation state of the oceans with respect to calcium carbonate (CaCO3) particles. Here we estimate the in situ CaCO3dissolution rates for the global oceans from total alkalinity and chlorofluorocarbon data, and we also discuss the future impacts of anthropogenic CO2on CaCO3shell-forming species. CaCO3dissolution rates, ranging from 0.003 to 1.2 micromoles per kilogram per year, are observed beginning near the aragonite saturation horizon. The total water column CaCO3dissolution rate for the global oceans is approximately$0.5 \pm 0.2$petagrams of$CaCO_{3}-C$per year, which is approximately 45 to 65% of the export production of CaCO3.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203