title: The oceanic sink for anthropogenic CO2.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115, USA. chris.sabine@noaa.gov
authors.forename: Christopher L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Sabine
authors.forename: Richard A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Feely
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gruber
authors.forename: Robert M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Key
authors.forename: Kitack
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: John L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Bullister
authors.forename: Rik
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wanninkhof
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Douglas W R
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Wallace
authors.forename: Bronte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tilbrook
authors.forename: Frank J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Millero
authors.forename: Tsung-Hung
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kozyr
authors.forename: Tsueno
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ono
authors.forename: Aida F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Rios
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D005579:Fossil Fuels; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D002244:Carbon; D002119:Calcium Carbonate