Journal
SCIENCE
Volume 377, Issue 6614, Pages 1544-+Publisher
AMER ASSOC ADVANCEMENT SCIENCE
DOI: 10.1126/science.abo0383
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Funding
- National Key Research and Development Program of China [2019YFE0114800]
- National Natural Science Foundation of China [41941013, 42176230, 41630969, 42188102]
- Ocean Negative Carbon Emissions (ONCE) Program
- Key Deployment Project of Centre for Ocean Mega-Research of Science
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) [COMS2020Q12]
- Chinese Projects for Investigations [CHINARE2017-2020]
- Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province, China [2019Jo5148]
- National Science Foundation (NSF) [ARC-0909330, PLR-1304337, OPP-1926158]
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) [NA09OAR4310078]
- NOAA Ocean Acidification Program
- Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory
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The Arctic Ocean has been rapidly warming and experiencing sea ice loss in recent decades, leading to significant acidification. The melting sea ice exposes seawater, allowing for the rapid uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide, resulting in sharp declines in pH and aragonite saturation. Future projections suggest that Arctic acidification will continue to worsen.
The Arctic Ocean has experienced rapid warming and sea ice loss in recent decades, becoming the first open-ocean basin to experience widespread aragonite undersaturation [saturation state of aragonite (Omega(arag)) < 1]. However, its trend toward long-term ocean acidification and the underlying mechanisms remain undocumented. Here, we report rapid acidification there, with rates three to four times higher than in other ocean basins, and attribute it to changing sea ice coverage on a decadal time scale. Sea ice melt exposes seawater to the atmosphere and promotes rapid uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide, lowering its alkalinity and buffer capacity and thus leading to sharp declines in pH and Warag. We predict a further decrease in pH, particularly at higher latitudes where sea ice retreat is active, whereas Arctic warming may counteract decreases in Omega(arag)) in the future.
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