Carbon from the Ocean
Carbon is dissolved in ocean water. The exchange of carbon dioxide between the atmosphere and ocean is a critical aspect of climate change.
As carbon dioxide increases in the atmosphere, the ocean absorbs the extra carbon dioxide to maintain chemical equilibrium. This is called the solubility pump.
But the solubility pump is slowing down. Unfortunately, the solubility of carbon dioxide in water is temperature dependent. So, as global warming causes the ocean's temperature to increase, less carbon dioxide can be dissolved into the ocean.And the biological pump is slowing down too. The biological pump moves carbon from the surface water to the ocean floor where it is subducted into the lithosphere. However, additional carbon dioxide in the ocean changes the water's pH creating ocean acidification. This reduces marine organisms ability to incorporate calcium carbonate (Ca CO3) into their shells.
When both the solubility and biological pumps slow down, it reduces the ocean's ability to absorb man-made carbon emissions that enter the atmosphere. This means that fossil fuel emissions and land use changes are creating an increase of carbon in the atmosphere.