Oceanic Subduction of CO2


Carbon dioxide is a by product of animal metabolism and the activities of man such as combustion products. Where does or will it go? One of the places where it goes are the cold southern oceans of the world. A few regions around the world are key in overturning deep and shallow layers of the ocean, and allow carbon to be locked away from the atmosphere for centuries. The Southern Ocean in particular is known to be a significant oceanic carbon sink, and accounts for 40% of all carbon entering the deep oceans. But how does it get sucked down into the ocean. A new paper from the National Environment Research Council resolves this matter, and shows the importance of 1000 kilometer-wide plunging funnels.


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