Oceans that grow more
acidic through Man's
fossil fuel burning
emissions, can amplify
global warming by
releasing less of a gas
that helps shield Earth
from radiation, a study
said Sunday.
And the authors warned
the potentially vast effect
they uncovered is not
currently factored into
climate change
projections.
Scientists say that Man's
carbon dioxide (CO2)
emissions contribute to
planetary warming by
letting the Sun's heat
through the atmosphere
but trapping heat energy
reflected back from
Earth, so creating a
greenhouse effect.
They also lower the pH
balance of the world's
oceans, making them
more acidic, and hamper
production of dimethyl
sulphide (DMS), a sulphur
compound, by plankton,
said the study.
DMS released into the
atmosphere helps reflect
incoming radiation from
the Sun, reducing surface
temperatures on Earth.
Using climate simulations,
the team said an 18
percent decline in DMS
emissions by 2100 could
contribute as much as
0.48 degrees Celsius (0.9
deg Fahrenheit) to the
global temperature.
"To our knowledge, we
are the first to highlight
the potential climate
impact due to changes in
the global sulphur cycle
triggered by ocean
acidification," the authors
wrote.
"Our result emphasises
that this potential climate
impact mechanism of
ocean acidification should
be considered in
projections of future
climate change."
They warned that ocean
acidification may also
have other, yet unseen,
impacts on marine biology
that may provoke further
declines in DMS
emissions.