In the Southern Indian Ocean, climate change is leading to stronger winds, which mix waters, bringing carbon dioxide up from the ocean depths to the surface. As a result, the Southern Ocean can no longer absorb as much atmospheric CO2 as before. Its role as a ‘carbon sink’ has been weakened, and it may now be ten times less efficient than previously estimated. The same trend can be observed at high latitudes in the North Atlantic. The increase in the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere, which is the cause of climate warming, is the result of human activity (use of fossil fuels and deforestation). However, warming is mitigated by the oceans and by terrestrial ecosystems, which are able to absorb a large part of CO2 emissions. The oceans are the planet’s main carbon sink, but in the last ten years they have become increasingly unable to play this role, in both the northern and southern hemispheres.
Ocean Less Effective At Absorbing Carbon Dioxide Emitted By Human Activity
