Ocean acidification could contribute to warming climate

New research suggests that ocean acidification, a phenomena associated with human greenhouse gas emissions, will contribute to rising global temperatures, New Scientist reported.

Phytoplankton are responsible for the produce the chemical dimethyl sulphide, or DMS, which enters the atmosphere from the ocean, increasing cloud cover and reflecting sunlight.

Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology in Hamburg, Germany, have discovered that as oceans become increasingly acidic, phytoplankton produce less DMS. Their findings indicate that DMS output from the oceans will decrease by 18 per cent in 2100, as compared to preindustrial times.

Current estimates set global temperatures to rise 2 to 4.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century, though ocean acidification could increase that figure between 0.23 and 0.48 degrees Celsius.