West Antarctic Melt Might Dim Ocean Carbon Uptake, Study Finds
TL;DR
New research in Nature Geoscience shows that past West Antarctica ice retreat delivered iron to the Southern Ocean, but much of that iron was weathered and poorly soluble, so algae growth did not surge as expected; the study suggests continued WAIS thinning could reduce the ocean's CO2 uptake in the Pacific sector, revealing that the iron's chemical form, not just its amount, governs carbon drawdown.
- Melting Antarctic Ice Did the Opposite of What Scientists Expected SciTechDaily
- South Pacific carbon uptake controlled by West Antarctic Ice Sheet dynamics Nature
- Unexpected feedback in the climate system EurekAlert!
- Antarctic ice feedback limits Southern Ocean carbon sink Space Daily
- Unexpected Climate Feedback Links Antarctic Ice Sheet With Reduced Carbon Uptake Columbia University
Want the full story? Read the original reporting
Read on SciTechDaily