The oceans play a key role in regulating climate, absorbing more than a quarter of the carbon dioxide that humans put into the air. Now, the first year-by-year accounting of this mechanism during the industrial era suggests the oceans are struggling to keep up with rising emissions — a finding with potentially wide implications for future climate. The study appears in the November 19 issue of the journalNature.

The researchers estimate that the oceans last year took up a record 2.3 billion tons of CO₂ produced from burning of fossil fuels. But with overall emissions growing rapidly, the proportion of fossil-fuel emissions absorbed by the oceans since 2000 may have declined by as much as 10%.

Some climate models have already predicted such a slowdown in the oceans’ ability to soak up excess carbon from the atmosphere, but this is the first time scientists have actually measured it. Models attribute the change to depletion of ozone in the stratosphere and global warming-induced shifts in winds and ocean circulation. But the new study suggests the slowdown is due to natural chemical and physical limits on the oceans’ ability to absorb carbon — an idea that is now the subject of widespread research by other scientists.

“The more carbon dioxide you put in, the more acidic the ocean becomes, reducing its ability to hold CO₂” said the study’s lead author, Samar Khatiwala, an oceanographer at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. “Because of this chemical effect, over time, the ocean is expected to become a less efficient sink of manmade carbon. The surprise is that we may already be seeing evidence for this, perhaps compounded by the ocean’s slow circulation in the face of accelerating emissions.”

The study reconstructs the accumulation of industrial carbon in the oceans year by year, from 1765 to 2008. Khatiwala and his colleagues found that uptake rose sharply in the 1950s, as the oceans tried to keep pace with the growth of carbon dioxide emissions worldwide. Emissions continued to grow, and by 2000, reached such a pitch that the oceans have since absorbed a declining overall percentage, even though they absorb more each year in absolute tonnage. Today, the oceans hold about 150 billion tons of industrial carbon, the researchers estimate–a third more than in the mid-1990s.

For decades, scientists have tried to estimate the amount of manmade carbon absorbed by the ocean by teasing out the small amount of industrial carbon — less than 1 percent — from the enormous background levels of natural carbon. Because of the difficulties of this approach, only one attempt has been made to come up with a global estimate of how much industrial carbon the oceans held — for a single year, 1994.

Khatiwala and his colleagues came up with another method. Using some of the same data as their predecessors — seawater temperatures, salinity, manmade chlorofluorocarbons and other measures — they developed a mathematical technique to work backward from the measurements to infer the concentration of industrial carbon in surface waters, and its transport to deep water through ocean circulation. This allowed them to reconstruct the uptake and distribution of industrial carbon in the oceans over time.

Their estimate of industrial carbon in the oceans in 1994 — 114 billion tons — nearly matched the earlier 118 billion-ton estimate, made by Chris Sabine, a marine chemist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Organization in a 2004 paper in the journal Science.

Sabine, who was not involved in the new study, said he saw some limitations. For one, he said, the study assumes circulation has remained steady, along with the amount of organic matter in the oceans. “That being said, I still think this is the best estimate of the time variance of anthropogenic CO₂ in the ocean available,” said Sabine. “Our previous attempts to quantify anthropogenic CO₂ using ocean data have only been able to provide single snapshots in time.”

About 40 percent of the carbon entered the oceans through the frigid waters of the Southern Ocean, around Antarctica, because carbon dioxide dissolves more readily in cold, dense seawater than in warmer waters. From there, currents transport the carbon north. “We’ve suspected for some time that the Southern Ocean plays a critical role in soaking up fossil fuel CO₂,” said Khatiwala. “But our study is the first to quantify the importance of this region with actual data.”

The researchers also estimated carbon uptake on land, by taking the known amount of fossil-fuel emissions and subtracting the oceans’ uptake and the carbon left in the air. They were surprised to learn that the land may now be absorbing more than it is giving off.

They say that until the 1940s, the landscape produced excess carbon dioxide, possibly due to logging and the clearing and burning of forests for farming. Deforestation and other land-use changes continue at a rapid pace today — but now, each year the land appears to be absorbing 1.1 billion tons more carbon than it is giving off.

One possible reason for the reversal, say the researchers, is that now, some of the extra atmospheric carbon — raw material for photosynthesis–may be feeding back into living plants and making them grow faster. “The extra carbon dioxide in the atmosphere may be providing a fertilizing effect,” said study coauthor Timothy Hall, a senior scientist at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies. Many other scientists are now working to determine the possible effects of increased carbon dioxide on plant growth, and incorporate these into models of past and future climates.

Khatiwala says there are still large uncertainties, but in any case, natural mechanisms cannot be depended upon to mitigate increasing human-produced emissions. “What our ocean study and other recent land studies suggest is that we cannot count on these sinks operating in the future as they have in the past, and keep on subsidizing our ever-growing appetite for fossil fuels,” he said.

Acid ocean dissolves shellfish

The increase of carbon dioxide ensures not only that the earth warms significantly, it also represents a threat to the oceans. The carbon dioxide, or CO2 acidifies the seawater and shellfish and corals affected fields. Especially the polar regions are in danger.

Acidification

-CO2 is a gas released by burning oil, gas, coal and wood.

-About half of the ‘human’ CO2 emissions is dissolved in seawater.

-CO2 in water (H2O) forms carbonic acid (H2CO3)

-This sours the seawater.

-The oceans absorb 25% to 30% of CO2 emissions

-On long terms it can raise up to 85% by mixing water and air on the surface of the ocean.

Sharp increase

-The increase of carbon dioxide is dangerous to crustaceans, shrimp, sea snails, plankton and algae.

-The acid eats calcareous minerals like calcite (CaCO3) and argoniet.

-Crustaceans need this as a foundation for their skeleton.

-In the Arctic sea was much worse.

-CO2 dissolves better in cold water.

-By 2100 the water so acidic that shells solve.

-In 2020 in the Arctic Sea has a shortage argoniet.

Acid measurement

-The pH scale measures acidity.

-The lower the pH value, the stronger the acid.

-Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, the pH of seawater declined from 8.16 to 8.05.

-By 2100 it will decline another 0.4.

Macina heliciana

-Acidification has catastrophic consequences for the entire food chain.

-Especially the Butterfly Blenny, a tiny mollusc (Limacina heliciana), is vulnerable.

-The mollusc is food for the baleinwalvis, salmon, herring and sea birds.

Buffer

-Acidification is also a disaster for deepwater corals (Lophelia pertusa).

-These corals form reefs.

-These reefs are a natural buffer against storm surge.

-The coral reefs are a paradise for fish and shellfish.

Written by Simon Ruymaekers

]*?)href\s*=\s*['"](.*?)['"]([^>]*)>(.*?) Ending uga_filter:

Acid ocean dissolves shellfish

The increase of carbon dioxide ensures not only that the earth warms significantly, it also represents a threat to the oceans. The carbon dioxide, or CO2 acidifies the seawater and shellfish and corals affected fields. Especially the polar regions are in danger.

Acidification

-CO2 is a gas released by burning oil, gas, coal and wood.

-About half of the ‘human’ CO2 emissions is dissolved in seawater.

-CO2 in water (H2O) forms carbonic acid (H2CO3)

-This sours the seawater.

-The oceans absorb 25% to 30% of CO2 emissions

-On long terms it can raise up to 85% by mixing water and air on the surface of the ocean.

Sharp increase

-The increase of carbon dioxide is dangerous to crustaceans, shrimp, sea snails, plankton and algae.

-The acid eats calcareous minerals like calcite (CaCO3) and argoniet.

-Crustaceans need this as a foundation for their skeleton.

-In the Arctic sea was much worse.

-CO2 dissolves better in cold water.

-By 2100 the water so acidic that shells solve.

-In 2020 in the Arctic Sea has a shortage argoniet.

Acid measurement

-The pH scale measures acidity.

-The lower the pH value, the stronger the acid.

-Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, the pH of seawater declined from 8.16 to 8.05.

-By 2100 it will decline another 0.4.

Macina heliciana

-Acidification has catastrophic consequences for the entire food chain.

-Especially the Butterfly Blenny, a tiny mollusc (Limacina heliciana), is vulnerable.

-The mollusc is food for the baleinwalvis, salmon, herring and sea birds.

Buffer

-Acidification is also a disaster for deepwater corals (Lophelia pertusa).

-These corals form reefs.

-These reefs are a natural buffer against storm surge.

-The coral reefs are a paradise for fish and shellfish.

Written by Simon Ruymaekers

Start uga_filter:

Carbon is usually typecast as a villain in terms of the environment but researchers at the University of Warwick have devised a novel way to miniaturise a technology that will make carbon a key material in some extremely green heating products for our homes and in air conditioning equipment for our cars.

Professor Bob Critoph, University of Warwick. (Credit: Image courtesy of University of Warwick)

Most domestic heating and automotive air conditioning requires a lot of energy. Domestic space heating and hot water account for 25% of energy consumption in the UK. Across the EU, vehicle air conditioning uses about 5% of the vehicle fuel consumed annually, and within the UK it is responsible for over 2 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions.

To combat global warming, new technologies to reduce these emissions are vital. Researchers at the University of Warwick have been working on practical solutions for many years and are now developing new energy saving technologies.

In houses, the best condensing boilers are about 90% efficient. There are electric heat pumps on the market that use electricity to extract heat from the outside air or the ground to heat homes more efficiently, but the electricity used still incurs large CO₂ emissions at the power station. Researchers have long been aware of a much more energy efficient way to drive heat pumps (or air conditioners) using adsorption technology. This uses heat from a gas flame or engine waste heat to power a closed system containing only active carbon and refrigerant. When the carbon is at room temperature it adsorbs the refrigerant and when heated the refrigerant is driven out. A process which alternately heats and cools the carbon can be used to extract heat from the outside air and put it into radiators or hot water tanks. In the case of air conditioning it extracts the heat from the inside of the car. The major snag has been that adsorption technology to date would need to be roughly 300 litres in volume for a car air conditioner and larger for a heat pump to heat your house. Clearly that is not going to fit into a car and the volume of unit required for domestic heating probably couldn’t fit under your stairs at home either…

However University of Warwick researchers have made a breakthrough in adsorption systems design that dramatically shrinks these devices making them small and light enough for use in both domestic heating and automotive air conditioning. They have devised and filed a patent on a clever new arrangement that distributes thin (typically 0.7mm thick) sheets of metal throughout the active carbon in the heat exchanger. Each of these sheets contains more than a hundred tiny water channels (typically 0.3mm in diameter) designed to make the heat transfer much more efficient. This has enabled the Warwick team to create adsorption based equipment that is up to 20 times smaller than was previously possible.

The researchers expect that their new adsorption technology can create domestic heat pumps that will produce a 30% or more reduction in domestic fuel bills (and CO₂ emissions) compared to even the best condensing boiler. In car air conditioning systems their new system can exploit waste heat from the engine, converting it into useful cooling. Because no (or very little) mechanical power is then taken from the engine it will reduce both fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions by nearly 5%. The research team also anticipate that in new vehicle models the system can be integrated with little or no extra cost.

The University of Warwick engineers have had significant interest in the new technology from a range of companies, and they have already entered a technical partnership with a major global vehicle manufacturer to develop and demonstrate the technology. There has also been considerable interest from the domestic heating and hot water market

This significant commercial interest has led to a new spin-out company, Sorption Energy Ltd, being set up by Warwick Ventures, the university’s technology transfer office, and H2O Venture Partners. Initially the company will use the new patent pending technology to focus on two high value markets: greener heating and hot water systems for houses and air conditioning for cars.

Lead researcher on the new technology, University of Warwick’s Professor Bob Critoph said:

“My team has been working on these developments for several years, supported by grants from EPSRC and the EU totalling over £2.5million. The technology is now ready for commercialisation and we are very excited by the opportunities which are developing. It is particularly pleasing that the technology will significantly help reduce CO₂ emissions.”

Dr David Auty, Chief Executive of Sorption Energy said: “This is exciting stuff. The technology has been proven in the University’s laboratories at the sizes needed for vehicles and domestic systems, and there are several other large markets. The ability to provide products which make significant reductions in both energy consumption and CO₂ emissions at a similar price to existing products will make Sorption Energy very attractive to customers, and is very satisfying for the team.”

“The UK is the global market leader in gas boilers. There are 21 million gas boilers in the UK with 1.7million installed each year, mainly replacements, and around 11 million units sold annually worldwide. For domestic housing the retrofit market is the primary interest: 80% of the housing for 2050 has already been built. This presents both a massive opportunity both for emission reduction and for UK industry.”

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Carbon is usually typecast as a villain in terms of the environment but researchers at the University of Warwick have devised a novel way to miniaturise a technology that will make carbon a key material in some extremely green heating products for our homes and in air conditioning equipment for our cars.

Professor Bob Critoph, University of Warwick. (Credit: Image courtesy of University of Warwick)

Most domestic heating and automotive air conditioning requires a lot of energy. Domestic space heating and hot water account for 25% of energy consumption in the UK. Across the EU, vehicle air conditioning uses about 5% of the vehicle fuel consumed annually, and within the UK it is responsible for over 2 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions.

To combat global warming, new technologies to reduce these emissions are vital. Researchers at the University of Warwick have been working on practical solutions for many years and are now developing new energy saving technologies.

In houses, the best condensing boilers are about 90% efficient. There are electric heat pumps on the market that use electricity to extract heat from the outside air or the ground to heat homes more efficiently, but the electricity used still incurs large CO₂ emissions at the power station. Researchers have long been aware of a much more energy efficient way to drive heat pumps (or air conditioners) using adsorption technology. This uses heat from a gas flame or engine waste heat to power a closed system containing only active carbon and refrigerant. When the carbon is at room temperature it adsorbs the refrigerant and when heated the refrigerant is driven out. A process which alternately heats and cools the carbon can be used to extract heat from the outside air and put it into radiators or hot water tanks. In the case of air conditioning it extracts the heat from the inside of the car. The major snag has been that adsorption technology to date would need to be roughly 300 litres in volume for a car air conditioner and larger for a heat pump to heat your house. Clearly that is not going to fit into a car and the volume of unit required for domestic heating probably couldn’t fit under your stairs at home either…

However University of Warwick researchers have made a breakthrough in adsorption systems design that dramatically shrinks these devices making them small and light enough for use in both domestic heating and automotive air conditioning. They have devised and filed a patent on a clever new arrangement that distributes thin (typically 0.7mm thick) sheets of metal throughout the active carbon in the heat exchanger. Each of these sheets contains more than a hundred tiny water channels (typically 0.3mm in diameter) designed to make the heat transfer much more efficient. This has enabled the Warwick team to create adsorption based equipment that is up to 20 times smaller than was previously possible.

The researchers expect that their new adsorption technology can create domestic heat pumps that will produce a 30% or more reduction in domestic fuel bills (and CO₂ emissions) compared to even the best condensing boiler. In car air conditioning systems their new system can exploit waste heat from the engine, converting it into useful cooling. Because no (or very little) mechanical power is then taken from the engine it will reduce both fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions by nearly 5%. The research team also anticipate that in new vehicle models the system can be integrated with little or no extra cost.

The University of Warwick engineers have had significant interest in the new technology from a range of companies, and they have already entered a technical partnership with a major global vehicle manufacturer to develop and demonstrate the technology. There has also been considerable interest from the domestic heating and hot water market

This significant commercial interest has led to a new spin-out company, Sorption Energy Ltd, being set up by Warwick Ventures, the university’s technology transfer office, and H2O Venture Partners. Initially the company will use the new patent pending technology to focus on two high value markets: greener heating and hot water systems for houses and air conditioning for cars.

Lead researcher on the new technology, University of Warwick’s Professor Bob Critoph said:

“My team has been working on these developments for several years, supported by grants from EPSRC and the EU totalling over £2.5million. The technology is now ready for commercialisation and we are very excited by the opportunities which are developing. It is particularly pleasing that the technology will significantly help reduce CO₂ emissions.”

Dr David Auty, Chief Executive of Sorption Energy said: “This is exciting stuff. The technology has been proven in the University’s laboratories at the sizes needed for vehicles and domestic systems, and there are several other large markets. The ability to provide products which make significant reductions in both energy consumption and CO₂ emissions at a similar price to existing products will make Sorption Energy very attractive to customers, and is very satisfying for the team.”

“The UK is the global market leader in gas boilers. There are 21 million gas boilers in the UK with 1.7million installed each year, mainly replacements, and around 11 million units sold annually worldwide. For domestic housing the retrofit market is the primary interest: 80% of the housing for 2050 has already been built. This presents both a massive opportunity both for emission reduction and for UK industry.”

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