How Does Carbon Dioxide Gas Effect Oceans & the Atmosphere?

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a trace gas found in the Earth's atmosphere. Although not nearly as abundant as nitrogen or oxygen, it plays an important role in our planet's life cycle. The oceans contain a higher concentration of CO2 levels, with approximately 93 percent of Earth's supply stored within their watery depths. This important compound routinely travels between the atmosphere, the oceans and the land biosphere, which is comprised of organic material both living and dead.

Function

• Visible short-wavelength light from the sun easily passes through transparent mediums, but long-wavelength radiation, such as infrared light, cannot. The CO2 in Earth's atmosphere acts as such a medium and therefore, prevents heat-generating infrared radiation from escaping into outer space. This process causes the surface of the Earth to remain relatively warm, thus supporting terrestrial life. A similar process takes place inside the interior of a vehicle parked in the sun on a clear and cold day (see Reference 1).

A Delicate Balance

• Carbon dioxide is produced by volcanic eruptions, animal respiration, decaying plant and animal matter and the burning of organic materials such as wood, coal or oil (see Resource 1). Green plants and algae counteract dangerous imbalances that would otherwise result from a buildup of CO2; this, through photosynthesis, is the process by which chlorophyll-producing organisms convert carbon dioxide back to oxygen. According to Water Encyclopedia.com, atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide remained at about 280 parts per million (ppm) for at least 1,000 years before the Industrial Revolution. During the past 150 years, however, levels have risen by 30 percent (see Reference 2).

The Oceans

• Our oceans hold and store about 50 times more carbon dioxide than does the Earth's atmosphere. This chemical compound moves easily between the air and these watery bodies by a process called molecular diffusion. When carbon dioxide mixes with ocean water, non-gaseous compounds such as carbonic acid--or bicarbonate and carbonate ions--form. These allow more diffusion of CO2 from the atmosphere, thus allowing the oceans to store vast quantities of this greenhouse gas (see Reference 2).

Expert Insight

• According to a July 2004 article published by "National Geographic," about one-half of all carbon dioxide produced by human beings since the Industrial Revolution is now dissolved in the world's oceans. Although researchers believe that this "sink effect" works to slow global warming, others such as Christopher Sabine, a geophysicist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, believe that these vast amounts CO2 are changing the chemistry of the oceans and therefore are causing harm to various types of marine life, such as plankton and coral, which serve as the foundation of the ocean food chain (see Reference 3).

Considerations

• There is growing scientific evidence that rising carbon dioxide levels, because of the burning of fossil fuels, are having a detrimental effect. Experts from the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC) estimate that a global reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of 60 percent is needed to stabilize concentrations at present-day levels. They also point out that, because of the slow response of the global climate, humanity has already guaranteed itself a certain amount of climate change during the next 50 years (see Resource 1).