Research
Rain may increase ocean carbon uptake more than we thought
Phys.org ·
The Brief
- Global carbon budgets may underestimate how much carbon the ocean absorbs by roughly 5% to 15%.
- The underestimate arises because current estimates do not fully account for rain's effects on the ocean surface.
- The source describes the finding as suggesting rain may increase ocean carbon uptake more than previously thought.
Why it matters
Carbon budgets track how carbon moves among the atmosphere, ocean and land, so an underestimate of ocean uptake of roughly 5% to 15% would change how those budgets are balanced.
Who’s affected
- climate scientists
- researchers who work on global carbon budgets
- ocean and atmospheric scientists
Global carbon budgets, which track carbon's movement among the atmosphere, ocean and land, may underestimate how much carbon the ocean absorbs by roughly 5% to 15% because current estimates do not fully account for rain's effects on the ocean surface.