Increased carbon dioxide enhances plankton growth

 

CO2 is good.

“Coccolithophores–tiny calcifying plants that are part of the foundation of the marine food web–have been increasing in relative abundance in the North Atlantic over the last 45 years, as carbon input into ocean waters has increased. Their relative abundance has increased 10 times, or by an order of magnitude, during this sampling period, report researchers.”

We never expected to see the relative abundance of coccolithophores to increase 10 times in the North Atlantic over barely half a century. If anything, we expected that these sensitive calcifying algae would have decreased in the face of increasing ocean acidification (associated with increasing carbon dioxide entering the ocean from the burning of fossil-fuels). Instead, we see how these carbon-limited organisms appear to be using the extra carbon from CO2 to increase their relative abundance by an order of magnitude.

Gephyrocapsa_oceanica_color

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/01/160116215419.htm

 

 

 

Could CO2 have lowered the rate of natural warming in the oceans?

As a minor followup to my post “Could CO2 have lowered the rate of natural warming?” lets consider ocean warming.

From 1900 to 1945 oceans were warming at a rate of  0.0116188C per year.

After 1945 oceans were warming at a rate of 0.00654978C per year.

Which means the massive 1945 increase in CO2 after 1945 slowed the  rate of ocean warming by 0.00506902C per year. Which is a drop off 44%.

Could_CO2_SST

Woodfortrees Url is here.