Why do warming oceans accelerate climate change?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Question: Why do warming oceans accelerate climate change?

Options provided: 
- "Warm water holds less CO2 than cold water."

Step-by-step analysis:
- Option analysis: The statement claims that warm water holds less CO2 than cold water. In reality, the solubility of CO2 in seawater decreases as temperature increases. This means colder water can dissolve more CO2, while warmer water holds less CO2. So, as ocean temperatures rise, the ocean's capacity to store CO2 diminishes, causing CO2 to be released from the ocean back into the atmosphere rather than being absorbed. This release of CO2 to the atmosphere forms part of a positive feedback loop that can amplify atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations and thus further accelerate climate change.

- Implications of the statement’s falsehood: If warm water holds less CO2, it would imply oceans are a weaker sink and a stronger source for CO2 when warming occurs, which is consistent with observed relaxations in carbon uptake with warming. However, the core mechanism by which warming oceans accelerate climate change is the reduction in CO2 solubility with temperature, leading to a net transfer of CO2 from ocean to atmosphere. The option correctly identifying this mechanism would need to state that warmer water releases CO2 (and that CO2 solubility decreases with temperature), not that warm water holds less CO2 as a standalone comparative statement without context.

- Why this option is incomplete or misleading: While it aligns with the general idea that CO2 dynamics change with temperature, stating only that warm water holds less CO2 is a simplified and incomplete framing. It does not explicitly connect the mechanism to the atmospheric increase in CO2 and the resulting feedback that accelerates climate change. A complete correct statement would emphasize the decreased CO2 solubility with warming and the consequent release of CO2 from the ocean to the atmosphere, enhancing the greenhouse effect.

- Other potential considerations (not provided as options): In a full discussion, one would also note that warming oceans affect methane hydrates, biological productivity, and ocean circulation, all of which can influence climate feedbacks. But those factors are outside the scope of the single given option.

Bottom line: The given option is scientifically incorrect or at best incomplete as a standalone claim. The accurate mechanism is that warming reduces CO2 solubility in seawater, causing CO2 to be released from the ocean to the atmosphere and thereby reinforcing climate change. Since no additional options were supplied to analyze, further comparison isn’t possible here.

BIOL 1001 (090-095) Unit 4.3 Learning Quiz: Climate change

Why do warming oceans accelerate climate change?

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