18/03/2022
Researchers studying the ocean at depths of up to 6km have found that climate change has a "worrying" effect on its ability to lock away carbon.
The latest discovery comes from the International "i-Atlantic" project. It has revealed that - if global temperatures increase to levels predicted - the ocean will not be able to provide what is currently Earth's largest long-term carbon store.
One third of the carbon dioxide in our atmosphere dissolves in the ocean. It therefore acts as an important buffer against rising temperatures.
Carbon is one of the chemical elements in the key planet-warming gas carbon dioxide (CO2). When that gas dissolves in the ocean, it is taken up by marine plants and animals becomes part of an ocean cycle that results in some of it being locked into the deep ocean mud for centuries.
Billions of tonnes of carbon is buried in the deep ocean's muddy floor. But this latest research shows that this cycle is disrupted by rising ocean temperatures.
