Direct observational evidence of strong CO2 uptake in the Southern Ocean
24 Jul 2024, Science Advances, vol.10, issue30
● Abstract for elementary school students
The Southern Ocean is very important for taking in carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air, which helps our climate.
Scientists found that it takes in 25% more CO2 than they thought before.
They used new data to find this out.
They also learned that the way they measure CO2 needs to be better, especially by looking at temperature changes and using more detailed data.
This means the Southern Ocean helps our planet more than we knew.
● Abstract for Junior High School Students
The Southern Ocean is very important for absorbing carbon dioxide (CO2) from human activities, which helps control Earth’s climate. However, there are big uncertainties in how much CO2 it absorbs. By using seven different datasets, scientists found that the Southern Ocean absorbs 25% more CO2 than previously thought. This difference is due to factors like temperature changes in the upper ocean and the need for more detailed data. The study suggests that the Southern Ocean might absorb more CO2 than we realized, and we need to consider temperature corrections and use higher resolution data to get accurate estimates.
Direct observational evidence of strong CO2 uptake in the Southern Ocean DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adn5781
