It is often said that oceans have much greater sequestration potential than lands. However, let us look at that map of "breathing oceans". We can see that higher latitudes really takes up large amount of CO2. But the equatorial ones seem to balance it entirely. So the potential was really great, but... recently something has gone wrong in that mechanism. As it is so, the significance of each percent of forests increase in a dramatic way: "At around 500 Pg C, the global quantity of plant biomass is small relative to the huge amount of carbon stored in the ocean and in fossil fuels, but it is important because it can increase or decrease relatively rapidly in response to climate or management, with strong and immediate effects on the atmospheric carbon pool." Global Change & the Earth System, International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme, 2004, pp. 40-43. http://www.igbp.net/download/18.56b5e28e137d8d8c09380001694/1376383141875/SpringerIGBPSynthesisSteffenetal2004_web.pdf
Estimates of the precise size and annual net change in carbon pools vary, but the relative sizes of each primary planetary pool of carbon – oceans/aquatic systems, vegetation, and soils - are well understood. Oceans and aquatic systems are by far the largest at an estimated 38,000 gigatons (Gt) and vegetation is the smallest of the pools at an estimated 650 Gt. Soil is about four times the size of the vegetation pool at an estimated 2500 Gt, making it the largest terrestrial pool of carbon (Batjes, 1996).
I think you can find your answer
http://www.waterencyclopedia.com/Bi-Ca/Carbon-Dioxide-in-the-Ocean-and-Atmosphere.html
Barbara:
Have a look at this link for the answer you are seeking.
Best
Syed
Thank you, Honar Safar Mahdi and Syed Abbas Jafar, for your kind responses:
"The atmosphere, at about 750 petagrams of carbon (a petagram [Pg] is 10^15 grams), has the smallest amount of carbon." Read more: http://www.waterencyclopedia.com/Bi-Ca/Carbon-Dioxide-in-the-Ocean-and-Atmosphere.html#ixzz5580NSOie
"Northern tropical ecosystems (equator-30øN) appear to be a net source to the atmosphere of 2 GTC which could reflect biomass burning." Does it mean that for lands there is at least 2 GTC reserve (in the case of not burning biomass on North side of equator, up to 30øN only)?
Oops... 750 petagrams makes 750 GTC
For the north equatorial countries yearly 2GTC it makes less then 100 GTC from 1970 up to now.
In comparison with ca. 250 Gt (USA) and 200 Gt (China) CO2 emission from 1970 up to now. EU (more than 200 Gt) and Russia (less then 100 Gt) filling the gap. EU EDGAR Database: http://edgar.jrc.ec.europa.eu/overview.php?v=CO2ts_pc1990-2013
Estimates of the precise size and annual net change in carbon pools vary, but the relative sizes of each primary planetary pool of carbon – oceans/aquatic systems, vegetation, and soils - are well understood. Oceans and aquatic systems are by far the largest at an estimated 38,000 gigatons (Gt) and vegetation is the smallest of the pools at an estimated 650 Gt. Soil is about four times the size of the vegetation pool at an estimated 2500 Gt, making it the largest terrestrial pool of carbon (Batjes, 1996).
Carbon sequestration on agricultural lands is possible through a range of soil management strategies and could be substantial with widespread implementation. Sequestration of historic carbon emissions is now essential as mitigation alone is unlikely to stabilize our atmosphere. There are numerous management strategies for drawing carbon out of the atmosphere and holding it in the soil. These strategies vary in effectiveness across different climates, soil types, and geographies. There are still debates about the durability of sequestration in soil and about the precise conditions that maximize drawdown of carbon emissions.
Thank you a lot dr Srivastava and dr Pavar for your kind reponses. Isn't it so that the forested soils are most valuable in interesting us here aspect, as they are less susceptible for erosion and desertification? Apart of wetlands, maybe?
Yes Barbara you are dead right. The forested lands offer a huge terrestrial carbon sink and aiding in carbon offset from atmosphere..
Oceans pH 8.1. Alkaline. CO2 is an acid gas. Oceans absorb 2 ppm CO2 per year. On land surface vegetated layer small. Ocean volume enormous, so CO2 sequestration capacity enormous compared to land. particularly if you count in spring & fall blooms of algae which also sequestrate carbon.
An interesting issue. I am interested in continuing discussions in this topic.
The influence of oceans on the composition of the Earth's atmosphere, including the amount of CO2, is significant, so in the context of the global warming process, scientific research in this area should be continued.
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