The world's oceans absorb much of the carbon dioxide that
humans pump into the atmosphere, which comes largely from the burning of fossil
fuels. But soaking up all of that carbon is slowly changing the chemistry of
the oceans, which could amplify the effects of global warming in decades to
come.
That's the conclusion reached in a study released last week
in the science journal Nature Climate Change, which found that as the oceans
become more acidic, they cause tiny marine organisms to release less of a gas
that helps protect Earth from the sun's radiation.
"On a global scale, a fall in DMS emissions due to
acidification could have a major effect on climate, creating a
positive-feedback loop and enhancing [global] warming," the journal Nature
notes in a press release announcing the study.
If the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
doubles by 2100, as many models project, ocean acidification could contribute
as much as 0.8 degrees to the expected rise in global temperatures by then of
between 3.6 and 8.1 Fahrenheit degrees
No comments:
Post a Comment