North Atlantic oceanic currents play greater role in absorption of carbon than previously thought
Posted by ScienceDaily: Oceanography News on 9 March, 2011
No comments yet
This item was filled under Climate
The ocean traps carbon through two principal mechanisms: a biological pump and a physical pump linked to oceanic currents. Scientists have managed to quantify the role of these two pumps in an area of the North Atlantic. Contrary to expectations, the physical pump in this region could be nearly 100 times more powerful on average than the biological pump. By pulling down masses of water cooled and enriched with carbon, ocean circulation thus plays a crucial role in deep carbon sequestration in the North Atlantic....