Future acidification of marginal seas: A comparative study of the Japan/East Sea and the South China Sea

The response of marginal (peripheral) seas to ocean acidification on short and long time scales is not well established. Through modeling, we examine the future acidification of two adjacent marginal seas, the South China Sea (SCS) and the Japan/East Sea (J/ES). Our results illustrate the importance of unique features in determining their acidification. The J/ES basin will become completely undersaturated with regard to calcite rapidly in the next few decades, while the SCS basin will experience relatively slower acidification. During its acidification, the J/ES will continually act as a sink for atmospheric CO2, whereas the SCS will temporarily switch from a source to a sink during the peak pCO(2) interval, only to return slowly to being a source again. Marginal sea acidification will be determined by multiple factors, including their connections with the open ocean and their unique physical and biogeochemical dynamics, in addition to the level of atmospheric CO2.