Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
On the surface, the winter season is associated with an increase of
inorganic carbon, which leads to an increase of
pCO
2
, more or less
compensated by a decrease caused by the cooling. These different
effects present different equilibriums depending on the regions,
thicknesses of the mixed layer and biological regimes. Over the course
of the last decades, these effects have been strongly modified by the
great increase in atmospheric concentrations of carbon-based gases.
We also note that the penetration of anthropogenic CO
2
in the oceanic
surface layers has, due to the acid-base anthropogenic, triggered a
decrease in the pH of the oceans. This decrease, called acidification of
the oceans, which has already reached more than 0.1, can have
significant effects on the solubility of the carbonated skeletons of
certain marine species, coral reefs or carbonated sediments.
Figure 3.3.
Map illustrating the average air-sea flux of CO
2
at the interface
(diagram above). Positive (negative) values correspond to a flux into the
atmosphere (into the ocean) (from the site www.pmel.noaa.gov/)
(see color section)
