New findings help to better calculate the oceans’ contribution to climate regulation
Nov 16, 2018
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a major cause of global warming. Researchers use complex computer models to calculate the global circulation of this greenhouse gas. The oceans have a major influence on climate regulation. New research now helps to calculate this influence more precisely. These new findings are the result of a research project in which Dr. Morten Iversen from MARUM - Center for Marine Environmental Sciences is involved, as well as scientists from Jacobs University and the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen in collaboration with colleagues from the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research in Bremerhaven and the University of Gothenburg.
When the porous aggregates sink faster towards the seabed, the generated faster fluid flow can provide more oxygen to the aggregate. Hence, the oxygen content inside the aggregates increases with sinking velocity. The rate of descent is expressed by a dimensionless number, the Reynolds number (Re). The six graphs show the oxygen concentration field at Reynolds number 0 (graph A), 0.01 (B), 0.05 (C), 0.1 (D), 1 (E), 5 (F), 10 (G). Illustration: Science Advances
