Ocean Carbon Cycle Feedbacks Under Negative Emissions
Abstract
Abstract Negative emissions will most likely be needed to achieve ambitious climate targets, such as limiting global warming to 1.5°. Here we analyze the ocean carbon‐concentration and carbon‐climate feedback in an Earth system model under an idealized strong CO 2 peak and decline scenario. We find that the ocean carbon‐climate feedback is not reversible by means of negative emissions on decadal to centennial timescales. When preindustrial surface climate is restored, the oceans, due to the carbon‐climate feedback, still contain about 110 Pg less carbon compared to a simulation without climate change. This result is unsurprising but highlights an issue with a widely used carbon cycle feedback metric. We show that this metric can be greatly improved by using ocean potential temperature as a proxy for climate change. The nonlinearity (nonadditivity) of climate and CO 2 ‐driven feedbacks continues to grow after the atmospheric CO 2 peak.
- Publication Date:
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1454380
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1454381
- Resource Type:
- Published Article
- Journal Name:
- Geophysical Research Letters
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Name: Geophysical Research Letters Journal Volume: 45 Journal Issue: 10; Journal ID: ISSN 0094-8276
- Publisher:
- American Geophysical Union (AGU)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Citation Formats
Schwinger, Jörg, and Tjiputra, Jerry. Ocean Carbon Cycle Feedbacks Under Negative Emissions. United States: N. p., 2018.
Web. doi:10.1029/2018GL077790.
Schwinger, Jörg, & Tjiputra, Jerry. Ocean Carbon Cycle Feedbacks Under Negative Emissions. United States. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GL077790
Schwinger, Jörg, and Tjiputra, Jerry. Wed .
"Ocean Carbon Cycle Feedbacks Under Negative Emissions". United States. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GL077790.
@article{osti_1454380,
title = {Ocean Carbon Cycle Feedbacks Under Negative Emissions},
author = {Schwinger, Jörg and Tjiputra, Jerry},
abstractNote = {Abstract Negative emissions will most likely be needed to achieve ambitious climate targets, such as limiting global warming to 1.5°. Here we analyze the ocean carbon‐concentration and carbon‐climate feedback in an Earth system model under an idealized strong CO 2 peak and decline scenario. We find that the ocean carbon‐climate feedback is not reversible by means of negative emissions on decadal to centennial timescales. When preindustrial surface climate is restored, the oceans, due to the carbon‐climate feedback, still contain about 110 Pg less carbon compared to a simulation without climate change. This result is unsurprising but highlights an issue with a widely used carbon cycle feedback metric. We show that this metric can be greatly improved by using ocean potential temperature as a proxy for climate change. The nonlinearity (nonadditivity) of climate and CO 2 ‐driven feedbacks continues to grow after the atmospheric CO 2 peak.},
doi = {10.1029/2018GL077790},
journal = {Geophysical Research Letters},
number = 10,
volume = 45,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed May 23 00:00:00 EDT 2018},
month = {Wed May 23 00:00:00 EDT 2018}
}
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