<
https://theconversation.com/floating-robots-reveal-just-how-much-airborne-dust-fertilises-the-southern-ocean-a-key-climate-shock-absorber-225793>
"The Southern Ocean, a region critical to Earth’s climate, hosts vast blooms of
microscopic ocean plants known as phytoplankton. They form the very basis of
the Antarctic food web.
Using a fleet of robotic floats, our study published in
Nature today reveals
that windblown dust delivers enough iron to support a third of the Southern
Ocean’s phytoplankton growth. Knowing this will help us understand how global
warming will affect key climate processes phytoplankton are involved in.
The Southern Ocean acts as a climate “shock absorber”. Its cold waters and vast
area capture up to 40% of human-generated carbon dioxide (CO₂) absorbed by the
planet’s oceans each year.
Human-generated CO₂ mainly enters the ocean as it dissolves at the surface.
However, biological processes that transfer vast quantities of CO₂ from the
surface to the deep ocean play a critical role in the ocean’s natural carbon
cycle.
Even slight changes to these processes in the Southern Ocean could weaken or
strengthen the climate shock absorber. This is where phytoplankton play a key
role."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
