Oceans and IPCC AR-5

From the IPCC AR-5 Summary for Policymakers Report, following is a statement about how the oceans are involved in absorbing the added heat input from the greenhouse gas effect:

Ocean warming dominates the increase in energy stored in the climate system, accounting for more than 90% of the energy accumulated between 1971 and 2010 (high confidence), with only about 1% stored in the atmosphere. On a global scale, the ocean warming is largest near the surface, and the upper 75 m warmed by 0.11 [0.09 to 0.13] °C per decade over the period 1971 to 2010. It is virtually certain that the upper ocean (0−700 m) warmed from 1971 to 2010, and it likely warmed between the 1870s and 1971. 

And a significant additional change is also taking place....ocean acidification:

Since the beginning of the industrial era, oceanic uptake of CO2 has resulted in acidification of the ocean; the pH of ocean surface water has decreased by 0.1 (high confidence), corresponding to a 26% increase in acidity, measured as hydrogen ion concentration. 

Two observable effects from these changes are, one, sea level rise due to thermal expansion of the warming oceans, and two, deterioration of marine ecosystems dependent on calcified exoskeletons, such as shellfish and coral reefs.

So is there any good news from the oceans? I think there is a lot, and one specific item is Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion, or OTEC. More on that in my next post. 

And below, a few pics of zero carbon energy generation based at sea. The top pic is of the Pelamis wave powered electric generator, and bottom, sea based wind turbines. 
Source: BBC article, In Pictures: Green Energy Awards photography contest.

 

The role of oceans relative to increasing greenhouse gas emissions

If you have been following this blog, you know I took the summer off, but now I am back, as the UN convenes in NYC to address climate change. The specific climate issue I wish to focus on is the role of the World's oceans in the presence of increased greeenhouse gas emissions.

The oceans absorb approximately 1/4 of the CO2 emitted into the atmosphere. This is good in that it removes this amount of CO2 from the atmosphere and global warming effects. However, this absorbed CO2 is acidifying the oceans at an alarming rate...."the current level of ocean acidification appears unprecedented, at least over the last 300 million years."(source 9 Sep 2014 UN News article)

Another note of concern, is that the oceans seem to be absorbing less CO2 than previously. For a complete picture of ocean chemistry and Ph history, see pages 4 and 5 the World Meteorological Organization Greenhouse Gas Bulletin for 2013.

The effects of ocean acidification on marine ecosystems is very significant and will be considered in future posts.

Our Oceans and CO2 Emissions

I love our oceans, and I venture forth on them and under them a lot. So if these articles are corrct, what I love will be diminished in sea life and resources for my grandchildren. But more importantly, it will be diminished for all who depend on the oceans for food and jobs.

From ars/technica with lots of embedded links.

Your Pteropod,
Bill

Coccolithophores ...our very small, beneficial friends

 In the above photo, the brilliant cyan is a bloom of phytoplankton, believed to be Coccolithophores: photo from NASA

I have made a few previous posts about Coccolithophores and why they gave me hope for their potential Earth saving contributions. In Carbon Eaters of the Black Sea they re-emerge as a source of hope for our planet, but also a question is raised as to whether ocean acidification will significantly interfere with their beneficial role.