Posted by Rob Mayhew to ClimateConcern
The relationships between the ozone layer and climate are interesting,
and poorly understood. Here's an interesting article which describes
one such link:
http://www.enn.com/top_stories/article/38835
Published December 10, 2008 09:58 AM
Ozone hole weakens oceanic carbon sink
A new model links stratospheric ozone depletion to ocean acidification.
Anna Barnett
The hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica may be impairing the
Southern Ocean's ability to mop up carbon dioxide from Earth's
atmosphere, according to work presented at a meeting in France today.
Earth's oceans are the largest sink of carbon dioxide, with the
Southern Ocean accounting for more than 40% of the annual oceanic
uptake of the greenhouse gas, says Andrew Lenton, a marine biochemist
at the Pierre and Marie Curie University in Paris. In theory, seas
should soak up more carbon dioxide as levels of the gas in the
atmosphere rise.
But recent measurements have bucked simulations1—3 and shown that the
Southern Ocean's surface waters have higher carbon levels than
expected, which also makes them more acidic. As a result, the amount
of CO2 that the ocean absorbs each year has also flattened out.
Article Continues:
http://www.nature.com/news/2008/081209/full/news.2008.1292.html
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