Reduced CO2 uptake and growing nutrient sequestration from slowing overturning circulation

Y. Liu (), J. K. Moore (), F. Primeau and W. L. Wang
Additional contact information
Y. Liu: University of California Irvine
J. K. Moore: University of California Irvine
F. Primeau: University of California Irvine
W. L. Wang: Xiamen University

Nature Climate Change, 2023, vol. 13, issue 1, 83-90

Abstract: Abstract Current Earth system models (ESMs) project dramatic slowing (28–42% by 2100) of Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation and Southern Meridional Overturning Circulation (SMOC) across a range of climate scenarios, with a complete shutdown of SMOC possible by year 2300. Slowing meridional overturning circulation (MOC) differentially impacts the ocean biological and solubility carbon pumps, leaving the net impact on ocean carbon uptake uncertain. Here using a suite of ESMs, we show that slowing MOC reduces anthropogenic carbon uptake by the solubility pump but increases deep-ocean storage of carbon and nutrients by the biological pump. The net effect reduces ocean uptake of anthropogenic CO2. The deep-ocean nutrient sequestration will increasingly depress global-scale, marine net primary production over time. MOC slowdown represents a positive feedback that could extend or intensify peak-warmth climate conditions on multi-century timescales.

Date: 2023
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-022-01555-7 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcli:v:13:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1038_s41558-022-01555-7

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/nclimate/

DOI: 10.1038/s41558-022-01555-7

Access Statistics for this article

Nature Climate Change is currently edited by Bronwyn Wake

More articles in Nature Climate Change from Nature
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().