Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 17, 2026
05:00
Measuring Dissolved Methane in Aquatic Ecosystems Using An Optical Spectroscopy Gas Analyzer
Published on: July 26, 2024
Ocean acidification and marine trace gas emissions
Frances E Hopkins1, Suzanne M Turner, Philip D Nightingale
1Laboratory for Global Marine and Atmospheric Chemistry, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom. fhop@pml.ac.uk
Summary
Ocean acidification from carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions reduces key marine trace gases like methyl iodide and dimethylsulfide. This impacts atmospheric chemistry and global climate projections.
Area of Science:
- Marine chemistry
- Biogeochemistry
- Climate science
Background:
- Rising atmospheric CO2 is causing ocean acidification, decreasing surface ocean pH.
- Ocean acidification poses risks to marine ecosystems and biogeochemical cycles.
- Marine trace gases influence atmospheric chemistry and climate.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of elevated CO2 on marine trace gas production.
- To assess how ocean acidification affects atmospherically important compounds.
Main Methods:
- Mesocosm CO2 perturbation experiment in a Norwegian fjord.
- Simulated present-day (approx. 380 ppmv) and future (approx. 750 ppmv) CO2 levels.
- Nutrient addition to stimulate phytoplankton blooms and monitored trace gas concentrations.
Main Results:
- High CO2 conditions significantly reduced concentrations of methyl iodide and dimethylsulfide.
- Substantial decreases in other iodocarbons were observed under elevated CO2.
- The response of bromocarbons to high CO2 was variable.
Conclusions:
- Ocean acidification alters the production of critical marine trace gases.
- These changes may affect global marine trace gas fluxes.
- Further research is needed to understand climate and atmospheric chemistry feedback loops.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Microbes and Climate Change
Microorganisms are pivotal agents in Earth's biogeochemical cycles, significantly influencing climate dynamics through their metabolic activities. These microbes modulate the levels of key greenhouse gases by both contributing to and helping mitigate climate change.Microbial Contributions to Greenhouse Gas EmissionsRising global temperatures accelerate microbial metabolism, which, in turn, speeds up the decomposition of organic matter. This process releases carbon dioxide (CO₂) through...
01:30Marine Microbial Ecology
Marine microbial ecosystems are shaped by distinct physicochemical limits, including high salinity, low nutrient availability, and fluctuating oxygen levels. These conditions favor smaller microbial cell sizes, which maximize their surface-to-volume ratio for efficient nutrient uptake.Microbial activity and community composition are closely linked to biogeochemical cycles, particularly in dynamic environments like estuaries, where halotolerant microbes thrive in response to variable salinity...
01:22The Sulfur Cycle
Sulfur, an important element in the chemical makeup of proteins, is recycled through the atmosphere and aquatic and terrestrial environments. Found in the atmosphere as sulfur dioxide (SO2), sulfur is released by decaying organisms, weathered rocks, geothermal vents, volcanos, and burning fossil fuels. It is deposited into the ecosystem, cycled through the biotic community, and either released back into the atmosphere as gas or deposited in marine sediment for long-term storage and eventual...
01:14The Carbon Cycle
Carbon is the basis of all organic matter on Earth, and is recycled through the ecosystem in two primary processes: one in which carbon is exchanged among living organisms, and one in which carbon is cycled over long periods of time through fossilized organic remains, weathering of rocks, and volcanic activity. Human activities, including increased agricultural practices and the burning of fossil fuels, has greatly affected the balance of the natural carbon cycle.
01:50Global Climate Change
Throughout its ~4.5 billion year history, the Earth has experienced periods of warming and cooling. However, the current drastic increase in global temperatures is well outside of the Earth’s cyclic norms, and evidence for human-caused global climate change is compelling. Paleoclimatology, the study of ancient climate conditions, provides ample evidence for human-caused global climate change by comparing recent conditions with those in the past.
01:29Microbes and the Sulfur Cycle
Sulfur is a vital element in Earth's biogeochemical systems. It transitions through various inorganic states, including sulfate (SO₄²⁻), elemental sulfur (S⁰), and sulfide (S²⁻). Abiotic and biological mechanisms across oxic and anoxic environments intricately mediate these transformations. Sulfate, the most oxidized form of sulfur, is predominantly stored in rocks, marine sediments, and oceanic waters, acting as a long-term reservoir in the global sulfur cycle.In oxic environments,...