The oceanic sink for anthropogenic CO2.
Using inorganic carbon measurements from an international survey effort in the 1990s and a tracer-based separation technique, we estimate a global oceanic anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) sink for the period from 1800 to 1994 of 118 +/- 19 petagrams of carbon. The oceanic sink accounts for approximately 48% of the total fossil-fuel and cement-manufacturing emissions, implying that the terrestrial biosphere was a net source of CO2 to the atmosphere of about 39 +/- 28 petagrams of carbon for this period. The current fraction of total anthropogenic CO2 emissions stored in the ocean appears to be about one-third of the long-term potential.
Sabine
Christopher L
CL
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115, USA. chris.sabine@noaa.gov
Feely
Richard A
RA
Gruber
Nicolas
N
Key
Robert M
RM
Lee
Kitack
K
Bullister
John L
JL
Wanninkhof
Rik
R
Wong
C S
CS
Wallace
Douglas W R
DW
Tilbrook
Bronte
B
Millero
Frank J
FJ
Peng
Tsung-Hung
TH
Kozyr
Alexander
A
Ono
Tsueno
T
Rios
Aida F
AF
D000818:Animals; D001272:Atmosphere; D002113:Calcification, Physiologic; D002119:Calcium Carbonate / Q000032:analysis; D002244:Carbon / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000032:analysis*; D005579:Fossil Fuels; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007221:Industry; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry*; D013696:Temperature
D005579:Fossil Fuels; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D002244:Carbon; D002119:Calcium Carbonate