Is the Planet’s Carbon Sink Getting Too Full?

article by Monica Villavicencio

Almost 3/4 of the Earth is covered by ocean, which absorbs half of all the CO2 released into the air by fossil fuels.  This is becoming more difficult as the Earth warms.  As trees are being cut down, the ocean has to absorb more CO2 because the trees cannot.  The more carbon there is in the ocean, the warmer the ocean becomes.  As the ocean gets warmer, it expands in a process called thermal expansion, causing the sea level to rise.  Between 1993 and 2003, global average sea level rose 3.1 millimeters per year.  this was partially causes by Melting glaciers and ice caps.  This could affect many people who live close to their ocean because they are becoming much more vulnerable to flooding.  Also, gases are more soluble in cold conditions, so now the ocean is having trouble regulating the Earth’s temperature.  Because it has so much CO2, the ocean is becoming more acidic, which is harmful to ocean life, especially coral reef and phytoplanktons.  Eventually, “the erosion of beaches and coral bleaching will harm local fisheries and reduce tourism dollars” on small islands and in Africa.  Other areas will flood and many places will see a serious loss of biodiversity. 

I had no idea that the ocean was both a cause and an effect of global warming.  This definitely adds to the idea of a domino effect, which I have looked at before.  As the ocean becomes warmer because of global warming, it adds to global warming itself.  I definitely think that the ocean should be high on our list of priorities to prevent global warming.