Research ship RSS Discovery

New research, partially funded by ESA, reveals that the cool ‘ocean skin’ allows oceans to absorb more atmospheric carbon dioxide than previously thought. These findings could enhance global carbon assessments, shaping more effective emission-reduction policies. The results are based on measurements taken by flux systems aboard research ships as they traversed the Atlantic Ocean. These sensors detected tiny differences in carbon dioxide in air swirling towards the ocean surface and away again, along with precise temperature readings of the ocean.

The photograph shows the RSS Discovery off South Georgia in the South Atlantic during the Atlantic Meridional Transect 17 in 2017.

Read full story: Thin cool surface skin boosts ocean’s carbon uptake