Scientists say a slice of cold surface water 2 mm deep helps the oceans absorb carbon dioxide Oceans

A slice of cold surface water less than 2mm deep helps the oceans absorb carbon dioxide, following months of transatlantic voyages to measure gas levels and temperature.

The subtle temperature difference between the “ocean crust” and the layer of water beneath it creates an interface that gives rise to more carbon dioxide₂ Scientists have noticed that it is being taken.

They used highly sensitive equipment to measure the water temperature and monitor and record small differences in the amount of carbon dioxide₂ In the air it hovers towards the ocean surface and away again.

This work is seen as important in advancing climate modeling because the oceans absorb about a quarter of human carbon emissions.

Daniel Ford, a research fellow at the University of Exeter, said: “With Cop29 At next month’s climate change conference, this work highlights the importance of oceans, but it should also help us improve the global carbon assessments used to guide emissions reductions.

Ford was on board the research ship RRS Discovery, which sailed between Southampton and Punta Arenas in Chile. He said: “The flight took seven weeks of keeping all the different devices working together to collect the wide range of measurements used in the study.

“We had some very rough seas in the North Atlantic and near the Falkland Islands, which was challenging, but we got a respite as we approached the equator with the glass-mirror ocean.”

A piece of water with a diameter of 2 mm is slightly cooler due to the “cold skin effect”, which is caused by heat leaving the water during its direct contact with the atmosphere.

The results were published in Natural Earth Sciences The magazine was transferred to Assessing the global carbon budgetall over the world Union of Scholars It is designed to establish a common understanding of the Earth’s carbon cycle.

Professor Jamie Schuettler, an oceanographer and atmospheric scientist at the University of Exeter, said the “ocean skin” was slightly cooler than the layer of water beneath it. Carbon dioxide absorption₂ It is controlled by the difference in gas concentration across these layers.

The effects were first suggested in the early 1990s, Schoettler said. “But the key missing piece — the field guide — eluded us,” he said.

Gavin Tilston, from Plymouth Marine Laboratory, said: “This discovery highlights the complexity of the structure of the ocean water column and how it can affect carbon dioxide.”₂ Clouds. Understanding these precise mechanisms is critical as we continue to improve our climate models and projections. It highlights the vital role of the oceans in regulating the planet’s carbon cycle and climate.