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pH Decrease and Effects on the Chemistry of Seawater

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Oceans and the Atmospheric Carbon Content

Abstract

Variation in seawater pH is just one response to the increased CO2concentration in the atmosphere due to anthropogenic activities. The decrease in pH has a significant effect on the carbonate chemistry of the ocean and causes a decrease in the calcium carbonate saturation state (Ω). Ten years of experimental pH measurements at the ESTOC station show a progressive reduction on pH in the ocean (-0.0017 ± 0.0002 year–1) and its effects on its carbonate chemistry. The calcium carbonate saturation state decreases by 0.018 ± 0.006 unit year–1for calcite and 0.012 ± 0.004 unit year–1for aragonite. The direct consequences of the pH decrease are a decrease in the buffer capacity (-1.99 ± 0.25 µmol kg–1year–1) and an increase in the Revelle factor (0.02 ± 0.002 year–1) of the surface seawater.

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Acknowledgments

This work has been supported by the European Commission, through the MAST III program, the CANIGO project (MAS3-CT96-0060), by the Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología, Proyecto FLUCAN (2002-01548) and by the European Project CARBOOCEAN 2005–2009, CN 511176-2. The authors thank all the participants in the ESTOC work during these 10 years, in special Dr. O. Llinás and M.J. Rueda from the ICCM-Gobierno de Canarias in charge of keeping the station work, Dr. E.F. González-Dávila for the statistical data treatment and the SeaS Canarias-Departamento de Biología ULPGC-Viceconsejería de Pesca (G.A.C) by to provide us the AVHRR image in Fig. 5.1. We thank Frank J. Millero for his helpful discussion and comments which improved the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Marine Science, Department of Chemistry, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35017, Las Palmas, Spain

    Juana Magdalena Santana-Casiano & Melchor González-Dávila

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  1. Juana Magdalena Santana-Casiano
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  2. Melchor González-Dávila
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Correspondence to Juana Magdalena Santana-Casiano .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Global Change, Energy, Environment and B, R & D Unit (CIAGEB), Universidade Fernando Pessoa, Praca 9 de Abril 349, Porto, 4949-004, Portugal

    Pedro Duarte

  2. Campus de Tafira, Department of Chemistry, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas, 35017 Gran, Spain

    J. Magdalena Santana-Casiano

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Santana-Casiano, J.M., González-Dávila, M. (2011). pH Decrease and Effects on the Chemistry of Seawater. In: Duarte, P., Santana-Casiano, J. (eds) Oceans and the Atmospheric Carbon Content. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9821-4_5

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