When you hear climate change, what do you think? Rising temperatures Rising levels of CO 2 in atmosphere Rising levels of CO 2 in oceans http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9cS0rl_NyI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0kacyyLVB4&feature=related Rising sea level melting of land ice thermal expansion of water
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When you hear climate change, what do you think? Rising temperatures Rising levels of CO 2 in atmosphere Rising levels of CO 2 in oceans .
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When you hear climate change, what do you think?
Rising temperatures
Rising levels of CO2 in atmosphere
Rising levels of CO2 in oceans http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9cS0rl_NyI
Rising sea level melting of land ice thermal expansion of water
Life in a hotter, higher CO2 world
What role do the oceans play in climate?
Exchange and transfer of heat Oceans carry heat from the tropics (equator) to the poles, to maintain
Earth's temperature
Exchange and transfer of CO2 (and O2)
What are the sources of increased CO2 in the atmosphere? Deforestation Fossil fuels Cement production
Oceans are main reservoirs of readily available carbon dioxide (CO2)
The cold, deep water in the ocean is the main reservoir of dissolved CO2
Oceans and heat
Solar energy is absorbed by both oceans and continents. BUT--because the oceans cover over 70% of Earth's surface and are darker than the continents--they absorb more of the sun's energy
Oceans not only absorb lots of energy from the sun--they can also store lots of solar energy in the form of heat AND they can do this with very little change in temperature
High specific heat of water 80% of heat generated by global warming is stored in the
oceans
Atmosphere and Oceans in Motion
Half of the incoming solar radiation is absorbed by the ocean
Energy is stored in the water as it is picked up by winds which blow over the ocean surface
When the wind releases the water as precipitation the heat energy of the water is released into the atmosphere causing an increase in temperature
The oceans' waters are constantly on the move
Sunlight warms the surface of the ocean in the tropics
Wind-driven surface currents carry the heat toward the poles
In the North Atlantic, the warm currents from the tropics feed the North Atlantic Current (in red on figure on next slide)
As the current flows northward toward Norway and Greenland, it loses heat to the atmosphere and cools down
In winter the water near Norway and Greenland gets so cold and dense it sinks all the way to the bottom of the ocean
The cold bottom water feeds bottom currents (in blue and green on figure)
Eventually, mixing brings the bottom water back to the surface in other parts of the ocean, sometime as far away as the North Pacific
When the water gets to the surface, sunlight warms the water, and the cycle starts over
Global Conveyor Belt – thermohaline circulation
Global Conveyor Belt – thermohaline circulation
Surface processes determine density (and other properties) of water
Because of the high specific heat of water, the oceans store heat
Currents transport heat
Global Carbon Cycle Exchange of carbon between different reservoirs
(atmosphere, ocean, fossil fuels, land)
Ocean is largest active reservoir
More CO2 in atmosphere, more CO2 in oceans
Global Carbon Cycle
How much carbon is in each reservoir? Land = Most in rock/soil Ocean = Most in deep ocean
0–6 = acid, 7 = neutral, 8–14 = alkaline Each is a power of 10 difference in acidity
pH scale
Oceans in a High CO2 World
When CO2 dissolves, it reacts with water to form a balance of chemical species: dissolved free carbon dioxide (CO2(aq)), carbonic acid (H2CO3), bicarbonate (HCO−
3) and carbonate (CO2−3)
The ratio of these species depends on temperature and pH
Dissolving CO2 increases [H+]
Lower pH
What are the factors that determine how much CO2 dissolves in seawater?
Solubility determined by temperature Colder water holds more CO2 than warmer water
Ocean circulation
Areas of convergence = downwelling = sink for CO2
Old, dense water
Areas of divergence = upwelling = source of CO2
More CO2 than atmosphere
Biology Photosynthesis/respiration Recycling of matter in surface versus burial to deep ocean
Oceans are a sink for CO2
Circulation transports dissolved CO2
Areas of deep water formation have high CO2
What happens as water gets older and makes voyage around the globe? What happens
when this water surfaces?
Oceans in a High CO2 World
Where do we see the most change in CO2?
Why?
CO2 and “Old” WaterCO2
CO2 + H2O organic carbon + O2
CO2 + H2O organic carbon + O2
euphotic zone
CO2 + H2O organic carbon + O2
sediments
photosynthesisrespiration
respiration
120m
Aragonite Saturation State in West Coast Waters May-June 2007
Old, CO2 rich water
Ocean Acidification in WA Waters
Effects of Ocean Acidification http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/ocean-acid-10445789
Impacts on organisms that build shells and plates out of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) More acidic (lower pH) = less carbonate