Recent research by MIT scientist Jonathan Lauderdale uncovers how a weakening ocean overturning circulation could lead to higher atmospheric carbon levels due to intricate interactions between ocean iron, nutrients, microorganisms, and ligands.
A recent study by MIT researcher Jonathan Lauderdale reveals that as climate change progresses and the ocean’s overturning circulation weakens, a complex feedback system between ocean iron, nutrients, microorganisms, and ligands may result in increased atmospheric carbon levels. This contradicts previous theories which suggested a slower ocean circulation would result in reduced carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.
The key element in Lauderdale’s discovery is ligands, organic molecules that bind with iron, making it soluble and usable by surface phytoplankton, which absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The research finds that a weaker ocean circulation limits the upward transport of deep ocean nutrients and carbon, reducing phytoplankton growth and ligand production. Consequently, this decreases the available iron needed for absorbing atmospheric carbon dioxide, leading to higher carbon levels in the atmosphere.
Published in Nature Communications, this study suggests that the anticipated reduction in atmospheric carbon dioxide due to weakened ocean circulation might not occur as previously thought. The findings highlight the importance of factoring in these nuanced feedback mechanisms in climate models and carbon storage predictions.
