What Affects CO2 Levels in Saltwater?

Salinity and Depth

• As the amount of salt in seawater increases, the amount of dissolved CO2 decreases. This is due to immobilization of water molecules by the salt ion. Most of the world's CO2 reside in the upper portions of the oceans' water. The deeper you go toward the ocean floor, the greater the concentration of CO2.

Temperature

• Increased water temperature results in an increase of mobility of CO2 molecules, making them escape from the water, thus reducing the amount of dissolved CO2. A small rise in temperature makes CO2 40 to 50 percent less soluble. Gases escape warm water in the form of bubbles. The fisherman who casts his line into bubbles is bound to catch a fish. This is because fish like to bask in warm water where the amount of oxygen is higher.

Sea Life

• Plants and animals in sea saltwater influence both CO2 and oxygen, which are non-conservative gases. Plants reduce the concentration of CO2 in the presence of sunlight, whereas animals have the opposite effect in both light and darkness.

Phenomenon

• A recently documented phenomenon shows the air should have higher levels of CO2, due to global warming, but instead, the oceans have absorbed much of the excess CO2. Due to increased levels of CO2 in the upper portions of ocean water, the average acidity of the water has decreased since the onset of global warming.

Volcanic Gases

• Volcanoes emit high levels of CO2 into the atmosphere. Since sea water absorbs excess CO2 from the atmosphere, it would stand to reason that volcanic gases raise CO2 levels in seawater. Volcanoes release more than 130 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere each year. The colorless, odorless gas is heavier than air, thus concentrating to low-lying areas. Sea animals breathe oxygen found in water; high concentrations of CO2 gases in sea water have the potential to kill off many species of marine fauna.