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GCOS Ocean Surface ECV Introduction: Ocean acidification, commonly referred to as the ongoing decrease in the pH of the Earth's oceans caused by their uptake of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, is a major and growing threat to marine ecosystems, particularly to marine calcifying organisms such as corals and calcifying plankton. It is mainly determined by the prevailing equilibrium in solution of calcium (as carbonates and bicarbonates) and CO2. In order to fully characterise this chemical state of the inorganic carbon system in the surface ocean, a second property, in addition to pCO2, needs to be measured, i.e., either dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), alkalinity (Alk – a measure of the content of carbonate or bicarbonate), or pH. These measurements need to be undertaken with high accuracy and precision, otherwise wrong conclusions about critical properties, such as the saturation state of the seawater with regard to CaCO3, will be drawn. High accuracy and precision measurements systems have been available for all parameters for quite some time already, i.e., pH, Alk, and DIC, but continuous systems are currently available only for pH. However, these continuous pH systems are generally not accurate enough. Networks & Status: Development activities are currently underway, but need to be substantially enhanced.
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Data, Product, Metadata and Information Access [ECV Matrix Main Page] [About the ECV Matrix] [Reference Documents] [Contact] [Updated February 25, 2011]
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