SAVING THE PLANET: OCEANS EQUIVALENT TO BILLIONS OF TREES

• BY FANNY ROHRBACHER AND BIODÔME EDUCATIONAL TEAM

The Amazon rain forest is often referred to as the “lungs of the planet.” And yet it would actually be more accurate to apply this expression to the world’s oceans. Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), one of the main greenhouse gases, dissolves in large amounts in cold surface seawaters before being carried deep down into the ocean.

In addition, phytoplankton and seaweed absorb CO2 through photosynthesis and release oxygen (O2). They alone are responsible for producing close to half the oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere and absorb as much CO2 as several Amazon rain forests.

This phenomenon helps reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. However, if the oceans absorb too much CO2, they’ll become acidified. This is serious because it can end up killing organisms sensitive to the pH of their environment. That is yet another reason to cut back on our CO2 emissions.