Active Stocks
Thu Mar 28 2024 15:59:33
  1. Tata Steel share price
  2. 155.90 2.00%
  1. ICICI Bank share price
  2. 1,095.75 1.08%
  1. HDFC Bank share price
  2. 1,448.20 0.52%
  1. ITC share price
  2. 428.55 0.13%
  1. Power Grid Corporation Of India share price
  2. 277.05 2.21%
Business News/ News / World/  Antarctic Ocean has increased its absorption of carbon dioxide
BackBack

Antarctic Ocean has increased its absorption of carbon dioxide

The findings upend estimates that the oceans were approaching a saturation point and would not be able to continue to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere

Antarctic Ocean, also known as the Southern Ocean, accounts for nearly half of the carbon dioxide absorbed by the world’s oceans, making it critical to mitigating the worst effects of climate change. Photo: ReutersPremium
Antarctic Ocean, also known as the Southern Ocean, accounts for nearly half of the carbon dioxide absorbed by the world’s oceans, making it critical to mitigating the worst effects of climate change. Photo: Reuters

Washington: Defying earlier fears, the Antarctic Ocean has been absorbing increasing amounts of carbon dioxide over the past decade, researchers reported on Thursday.

The findings upend estimates, put forward a decade ago, that the seas surrounding the continent were approaching a saturation point and would not be able to continue to absorb increasing amounts carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Since that time, the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases put into the atmosphere by human activity has only grown and, the new research shows, so has the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed by the Antarctic Ocean.

This ocean, also known as the Southern Ocean, accounts for nearly half of the carbon dioxide absorbed by the world’s oceans, making it critical to mitigating the worst effects of climate change.

“The seas around Antarctica absorb significantly more CO2 than they release. And importantly, they remove a large part of the CO2 that is put into the atmosphere by human activities such as burning fossil fuels," co-author Dorothee Bakker, of the University of East Anglia, said in a statement announcing the findings.

She noted that the previous suggestions of a saturation point had been surprising at the time and that these new findings show the Antarctic Ocean “has in fact regained its expected strength."

The study, published in the journal Science, is based on surface water carbon dioxide measurements taken throughout the past decade.

The researchers, led by Nicolas Gruber of the university ETH Zurich, attributed this reinvigoration of carbon dioxide absorption to changes in prevailing weather patterns.

Another study published on Thursday, in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, found a similar uptick in a specific region of the Antarctic seas, the Drake Passage that separates the ice-covered continent from South America.

Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!

Catch all the Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
More Less
Published: 11 Sep 2015, 06:17 PM IST
Next Story footLogo
Recommended For You
Switch to the Mint app for fast and personalized news - Get App