Decadal Changes in the Aragonite and Calcite Saturation State of the Pacific Ocean

Authors

Richard A. Feely, Corresponding Author
Christopher L. Sabine, Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, NOAA, Seattle, Washington, USA
Robert H. Byrne, University of South FloridaFollow
Frank J. Millero, University of Miami
Andrew G. Dickson, University of California
Rik Wanninkhof, Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, NOAA, Miami, Florida, USA
Akihiko Murata, Research Institute for Global Change
Lisa A. Miller, Institute of Ocean Sciences
Dana Greeley, Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, NOAA, Seattle, Washington, USA

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2012

Keywords

Pacific Ocean, acidification, aragonite, calcite, carbon dioxide, saturation state

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.1029/2011GB004157

Abstract

Based on measurements from the WOCE/JGOFS global CO₂ survey, the CLIVAR/CO₂ Repeat Hydrography Program and the Canadian Line P survey, we have observed an average decrease of 0.34% yr⁻¹ in the saturation state of surface seawater in the Pacific Ocean with respect to aragonite and calcite. The upward migrations of the aragonite and calcite saturation horizons, averaging about 1 to 2 m yr⁻¹, are the direct result of the uptake of anthropogenic CO₂ by the oceans and regional changes in circulation and biogeochemical processes. The shoaling of the saturation horizon is regionally variable, with more rapid shoaling in the South Pacific where there is a larger uptake of anthropogenic CO₂. In some locations, particularly in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre and in the California Current, the decadal changes in circulation can be the dominant factor in controlling the migration of the saturation horizon. If CO₂ emissions continue as projected over the rest of this century, the resulting changes in the marine carbonate system would mean that many coral reef systems in the Pacific would no longer be able to sustain a sufficiently high rate of calcification to maintain the viability of these ecosystems as a whole, and these changes perhaps could seriously impact the thousands of marine species that depend on them for survival.

Rights Information

Terms of use for work posted in Scholar Commons.

Was this content written or created while at USF?

Yes

Citation / Publisher Attribution

Global Biogeochemical Cycles, v. 26, issue 3, art. GB3001

©2012. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.

Scholar Commons Citation

Feely, Richard A.; Sabine, Christopher L.; Byrne, Robert H.; Millero, Frank J.; Dickson, Andrew G.; Wanninkhof, Rik; Murata, Akihiko; Miller, Lisa A.; and Greeley, Dana, "Decadal Changes in the Aragonite and Calcite Saturation State of the Pacific Ocean" (2012). Marine Science Faculty Publications. 1591.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/msc_facpub/1591