Vertical Distribution of Carbon Dioxide in the Ocean
Rangkaan topik
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As an oceanographer, you must answer the question, how much carbon dioxide is sequestered in the ocean? We also want to know how much human-emitted carbon dioxide is sequestered at deeper layers. However, since carbon dioxide is not colored to identify its source, it is quite difficult to determine the percentage of the carbon dioxide sequestered in the deep ocean that is of human origin. We will first try to understand the distribution of carbon dioxide without coloring it human origin.
Figure shows the observed data used in the carbon transport model in Murnane et al., Global Biogeochemical cycles, 13(2), 287-305, (1999).
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When carbon dioxide dissolves from the atmosphere into the ocean, it dissociates into carbonic acid and bicarbonate ions. All carbonic acid components, including carbon dioxide, are called total carbonic acid. Organisms in the ocean are responsible for absorbing and releasing carbon dioxide and transporting organic carbon. From the standpoint of marine chemistry and biology, we want to know how much action is due to organisms. First, let us consider the distribution of carbon dioxide in the absence of action by organisms.
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