An increasing carbon sink?

Southern Ocean carbon uptake may have strengthened between 2002 and 2012, slowing climate change [Also see Report by Landschützer et al. ] Since 1870, Earth's oceans have absorbed more than one-quarter of the carbon dioxide emitted to the atmosphere from fossil fuel burning and other human acti...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2015-09, Vol.349 (6253), p.1165-1165
Main Author: Mikaloff-Fletcher, S. E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Carbon
Carbon dioxide
Carbon sequestration
Climate
Climate change
Oceanographic instruments
Oceans
Retarding
Southern Ocean
Uptakes
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Summary:Southern Ocean carbon uptake may have strengthened between 2002 and 2012, slowing climate change [Also see Report by Landschützer et al. ] Since 1870, Earth's oceans have absorbed more than one-quarter of the carbon dioxide emitted to the atmosphere from fossil fuel burning and other human activities, thereby dramatically slowing climate change ( 1 ). The Southern Ocean is responsible for ~40% of this global ocean carbon sink ( 2 ). Recent studies have suggested that the rate of carbon uptake by the Southern Ocean may be slowing ( 3 , 4 ). Such a positive climate feedback effect would reduce the Southern Ocean's capacity to slow climate change. On page 1221 of this issue, Landschützer et al. show that although the rate of carbon uptake by the Southern Ocean slowed between the 1980s and early 2000s, it began to strengthen again in 2002 and continued to do so until at least 2012 ( 5 ).
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.aad0912