The ocean is a crucial player in the global carbon cycle. Credit: NOAA
Every year, scientists at AOML participate in the international effort led by the University of Exeter’s Global Systems Institute in developing the annual Global Carbon Budget Report, an assessment of global carbon emissions and the progress towards achieving the climate goals set by the 2016 Paris Agreement. The 2024 Global Carbon Budget Report now indicates global emissions have continued to rise – as we’re falling behind on international targets.
Scientists at AOML and the Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS) lead global efforts to quantify the exchange of carbon between the ocean and the atmosphere – and how it might be changing.
It’s like a personal finance budget – where carbon is the currency. Natural sinks like the ocean that absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere are the reliable, somewhat expected sources of income. Natural carbon emissions are the expected annual debt payments. NO fun but unavoidable. Anthropogenic (human-caused) greenhouse gas emissions are the spending that we can only afford so much of without significant consequences. And the climate goals set by the Paris Agreement are how we avoid the irreversible consequences of overspending or adding too much heat-trapping carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.
