As Oceans Warm, Their Ability To Absorb CO2 Falls; Current Uptake 4Kg/Person/Day
Atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide are rising at a record rate as fossil fuel consumption increases and the ability of the oceans to absorb the greenhouse gas diminishes, the World Meteorological Organisation said. Average levels of C02 in the atmosphere rose almost 3 parts per million to 396 in 2013, accelerating from the 2.2 ppm increase in the previous year, the UN body said, citing data from 125 monitoring sites worldwide.
"The changes we're seeing are really drastic," Oksana Tarasova, a scientist and chief of the WMO's Global Atmospheric Watch program told The Washington Post. "We are seeing the growth rate rising exponentially." Atmosphere levels of C02 are now 42 per cent higher than they were in 1750, before the industrial revolution and the subsequent surge in consumption of oil, coal and gas, and increased land-clearing for agriculture and other human activities.
The atmospheric CO2 concentration has not been this high in at least 800,000 years, with the warming effect on the climate rising 34 per cent since 1990, the WMO said. Two other key greenhouse gases, methane and nitrous oxide are 253 per cent and 121 per cent higher, respectively, since 1750.
The WMO report also contained details on the increased acidification of the world's oceans, noting the level is "unprecedented" over the past 300 million years. "The ocean's acidity increase is already measurable as oceans take up about 4 kilograms of CO2 per day per person," the report said.
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http://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/ocean-losing-its-ability-to-absorb-increasing-carbon-dioxide-emissions-says-report-20140909-10ejo1.html
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