A research study published in the Nature journal disproved previous estimations about the capacity of oceans to absorb carbon.
The study conducted by a team of international scientists has concluded that oceans can absorb more carbon than estimated by previous research studies.
20% Increase in Oceans Capacity
Oceans can store up to 15 metric gigatonnes of carbon per year, which is 20% more than previous estimations.
The team of seven scientists studied the data collected since 1970 and concluded that the earlier estimates were proven wrong due to a range of other variables studied now.
Role of Plankton
The study published by the CNRS, the French National Centre for Scientific Research, stressed the role of smaller organisms in storing the gigantic amount of carbon.
Planktons eat carbon dioxide and convert it into organic matter as they grow.
The study said that plankton become a food source for smaller organisms deep in the oceans when they die.
The research study was published in Nature
