Navigating the ocean carbon sink in a changing climate: insights on deep water CO2 release

Montag 28.10.2024, 11:00 → 12:00 Europe/Berlin

5-1.214 - Linke Seite – Großer, unterteilbarer Konferenzraum (GEOMAR - Standort Ostufer / GEOMAR - East Shore)

Speaker: Dr. Léa Olivier (AWI) 

Hybrid  - Zoom: https://geomar-de.zoom.us/j/84289388604?pwd=dGlpeTBUd1Nxem5Ec3dRYXh4NFpOUT09

Abstract            
The ocean, and in particular the Southern Ocean, critically mitigated global surface warming by taking up a large portion of the additional carbon released to the climate system by human activities. The strength of this carbon sink depends on ocean dynamics and its interaction with the natural carbon cycle, both of which are critically altered by the ongoing climatic changes, making detailed global monitoring essential. However, the vastness and variability of the ocean make collecting enough long-term CO₂ observations challenging. In this talk, I will present studies on the primary drivers of oceanic CO₂, from the vast Southern Ocean to the North Atlantic with a stopover in the tropics. I will focus on how changing ocean dynamics are altering the exchange of CO₂ with the atmosphere. Using circumpolar hydrographic observations, I will present how the observed freshening of the Southern Ocean since the 1980s has prevented the weakening of the Southern Ocean carbon sink. Understanding these processes and their changes requires the collection of extensive data across time and space. Finally, I will highlight how using platforms such as sailboats to collect CO₂ data offers new insights into the future of the ocean carbon sink and its role in the global carbon cycle.