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Essay / Climate Change and Carbon Dioxide (CO2) - 1243
Since the Industrial Revolution, scientists have documented an increasing trend in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), the main greenhouse gas. This observation constitutes a major environmental concern given the potentially devastating effects of climate change on ecosystems and human survival. Recent studies by scientists led by Wei-Jun Cai have highlighted this fact by showing that the Arctic region and the world are facing a major climate challenge due to the continued melting of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean. This research indicated that the main concern is the increasing absorption of heat as deeper ocean water layers are exposed to sunlight, as well as the possible loss of reflectivity of white ice or l albedo (An Ice-Free Arctic Ocean Will Not Absorb More CO2, nd). This article discusses recent observations that the Arctic Ocean basin does not have the indefinite capacity to continue to act as a CO2 sink when conditions are ice-free due to increasing temperatures. It should be noted that the sensitivity to climate change in the Arctic is considered the highest on the Earth's surface. Additionally, the region experiences more pronounced acidification than any other ocean. Over the past several decades, the Arctic Ocean has seen a steady increase in the rate of sea ice loss. According to Cai et al. (2010), this was particularly true in light of indications from three summers from 2007 to 2009. Recent research by Cai et al. was built on the assumption that more and more CO2 would be absorbed from the atmosphere under ice-free conditions in the Arctic Ocean. Therefore, the research is investigating the impact of melting sea ice on the CO2 concentration in Ar's surface waters...... middle of paper ......temperatures will continue to cause the melting of ice in summer. Therefore, the partial pressure of carbon dioxide in surface waters will continue to increase, further reducing the ability of the CO2 sink to absorb more CO2. The high-resolution survey further highlights that the future will see increased air-sea CO2 fluxes. This is due to the exposure of a greater surface area of seawater as well as the extended periods when the surface of the Arctic Ocean will be subject to ice-free conditions. Although this is expected, the ability of the Arctic Ocean CO2 sink to continue to absorb CO2 is expected to weaken due to surface water pCO2 equilibrating with the atmosphere. The survey highlights four major factors that facilitate this balance. These include low CO2 fixation, surface warming, shallow mixed layer depth, and strong surface water stratification (Cai, et al.., 2010).