The ocean contains about 60 times more carbon in the form of dissolved inorganic carbon than in the pre-anthropogenic atmosphere (∼600 Pg C). On time scales <105 yr, the ocean is the largest inorganic carbon reservoir (∼38,000 Pg C) in exchange with atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and as a result, the ocean exerts a dominant control on atmospheric CO2 levels. The average concentration of inorganic carbon in the ocean is ∼2.3 mmol kg−1 and its residence time is ∼200 ka.
Dissolved carbon dioxide in the ocean occurs mainly in three inorganic forms: free aqueous carbon dioxide (CO2(aq)), bicarbonate (HCO3 −), and carbonate ion (CO3 2−). A minor form is true carbonic acid (H2CO3) whose concentration is less than 0.3% of [CO2(aq)]. The sum of [CO2(aq)] and [H2CO3] is denoted as [CO2]. The majority of dissolved inorganic carbon in the modern ocean is in the form of HCO3 − (>85%), as described below.
Carbonate chemistry
In thermodynamic equilibrium, gaseous carbon dioxide (CO2(g)), and [CO2]...
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Zeebe, R.E., Wolf-Gladrow, D.A. (2009). Carbon Dioxide, Dissolved (Ocean). In: Gornitz, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Paleoclimatology and Ancient Environments. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4411-3_30
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