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ClimateQuiet 10d · day 14

Study: Southern Ocean carbon sink may flip to CO2 source after net zero

Modelling shows Earth's largest single carbon sink could start releasing CO2 once atmospheric levels fall, blunting future carbon-removal efforts for centuries.

newest coverage 10d agosummary written 11d ago6 pieces886 likes & upvotes20 comments NewswiresBlueskyReddit

What to know

  • The Southern Ocean currently absorbs about 10% of human CO2 emissions, more than any other single region.
  • Modelling shows that once atmospheric CO2 declines after net zero, the ocean's uptake reverses and it starts emitting CO2 instead.
  • The reversal persists for centuries and offsets much of the benefit of carbon dioxide removal, keeping atmospheric CO2 higher than removal efforts alone would suggest.
  • Researchers note the modelled net-zero timelines (2025-2125) are later or different from many national targets like the UK and EU's 2050 goal, and current CO2 removal remains far smaller than emissions.

“Let's say we try to reduce the CO2… this sink-to-source transition in the Southern Ocean still acts as an obstacle to reduce the atmospheric CO2 concentration.”

Yechul Shin, Seoul National University researcher · New Scientist ↗ · Sep 9

Yechul Shin Researcher, Seoul National UniversityNicolas Gruber Researcher, ETH ZurichAlberto Naveira Garabato Researcher, University of Southampton

Study: Southern Ocean carbon sink may flip to CO2 source after net zero
newscientist.com

How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts

Peak 1 piece in 4h at Sep 10, 9 AM; 6 pieces over 14 days (2 articles · 3 posts · 1 comment) Sep 10, 9 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 10, 1 PM — quietSep 10, 5 PM — quietSep 10, 9 PM — quietSep 11, 1 AM — quietSep 11, 5 AM — 1 piece · 1 post — Bluesky 1Sep 11, 9 AM — quietSep 11, 1 PM — quietSep 11, 5 PM — quietSep 11, 9 PM — quietSep 12, 1 AM — quietSep 12, 5 AM — quietSep 12, 9 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 12, 1 PM — quietSep 12, 5 PM — quietSep 12, 9 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Bluesky 1Sep 13, 1 AM — quietSep 13, 5 AM — quietSep 13, 9 AM — quietSep 13, 1 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Reddit 1Sep 13, 5 PM — quietSep 13, 9 PM — 1 piece · 1 comment — Reddit 1Sep 14, 1 AM — quietSep 14, 5 AM — quietSep 14, 9 AM — quietSep 14, 1 PM — quietSep 14, 5 PM — quietSep 14, 9 PM — quietSep 15, 1 AM — quietSep 15, 5 AM — quietSep 15, 9 AM — quietSep 15, 1 PM — quietSep 15, 5 PM — quietSep 15, 9 PM — quietSep 16, 1 AM — quietSep 16, 5 AM — quietSep 16, 9 AM — quietSep 16, 1 PM — quietSep 16, 5 PM — quietSep 16, 9 PM — quietSep 17, 1 AM — quietSep 17, 5 AM — quietSep 17, 9 AM — quietSep 17, 1 PM — quietSep 17, 5 PM — quietSep 17, 9 PM — quietSep 18, 1 AM — quietSep 18, 5 AM — quietSep 18, 9 AM — quietSep 18, 1 PM — quietSep 18, 5 PM — quietSep 18, 9 PM — quietSep 19, 1 AM — quietSep 19, 5 AM — quietSep 19, 9 AM — quietSep 19, 1 PM — quietSep 19, 5 PM — quietSep 19, 9 PM — quietSep 20, 1 AM — quietSep 20, 5 AM — quietSep 20, 9 AM — quietSep 20, 1 PM — quietSep 20, 5 PM — quietSep 20, 9 PM — quietSep 21, 1 AM — quietSep 21, 5 AM — quietSep 21, 9 AM — quietSep 21, 1 PM — quietSep 21, 5 PM — quietSep 21, 9 PM — quietSep 22, 1 AM — quietSep 22, 5 AM — quietSep 22, 9 AM — quietSep 22, 1 PM — quietSep 22, 5 PM — quietSep 22, 9 PM — quietYesterday, 1 AM — quietYesterday, 5 AM — quietYesterday, 9 AM — quietYesterday, 1 PM — quietYesterday, 5 PM — quietYesterday, 9 PM — quietToday, 1 AM — quietToday, 5 AM — quiet 12
Sep 11Sep 12Sep 13Sep 14Sep 15Sep 16Sep 17Sep 18Sep 19Sep 20Sep 21Sep 22now · 6:44 AM ET
  1. 2

    Coverage of the study circulates widely on social media

    A post highlighting the study and an independent researcher's car-crash analogy for the effect gained significant traction (855 score, 19 comments) on Bluesky.

    “It's like crashing a car into the wall, and then you back up the car. It's not the same car any more…”
    — Nicolas Gruber
    • thierryaaron.bsky.social

      “It’s like crashing a car into the wall, and then you back up the car. It’s not the same car any more,” he says. “We can’t just simply take out CO2. There are consequences, and some of these consequences are long-lasting."

      thierryaaron.bsky.socialBluesky13d ago855▲view on Bluesky ↗
    2 more of the top 3 · 3 posts in this stretch

    • I mean, yeah? Unless I’m missing something, this is more like ocean carbon dynamics 101 rather than some new revelation. It’s a bit like saying a balloon could become a net source of helium after I stop inflating it.

      teh_hasayr/science10d agoview on r/science ↗
    • ianhall.bsky.social

      🌊 The Southern Ocean is one of Earth’s biggest CO2 sinks, but that could change dramatically as we move toward net-zero and negative emissions. As atmospheric CO2 falls, the Southern Ocean may actually begin releasing CO2 back into the atmosphere. 1/3

      ianhall.bsky.socialBluesky11d ago31▲view on Bluesky ↗
    all of them →
  2. 1

    Study finds Southern Ocean will flip from carbon sink to source

    Yechul Shin and colleagues modelled two net-zero scenarios and found the Southern Ocean transitions from absorbing about 3 grams of carbon per square metre per year to emitting 8-9 grams by 2400, prolonging warming even under large-scale carbon dioxide removal.

    “That impact can sustain much, much longer than we expected…”
    — Yechul Shin

    1. 1 outlet first by Phys.org, 11d ago · read ↗

    2. 1 outlet The world’s biggest carbon sink may start emitting CO2 after net zero

      first by New Scientist, 13d ago

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