Abstract
Ocean acidification, a consequence of the ocean absorbing about a third of the anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted into the atmosphere, is poised to affect biogeochemical cycles and the seawater chemical system. Traditional research methods, such as field and in situ sampling, are precise and reliable, but are inherently limited in spatial and temporal coverage and resolution. This article summarizes remotely sensed products, including air-sea CO2 fluxes, total alkalinity, suspended calcite (particulate inorganic carbon), particulate organic carbon and calcification rates, which can be used to observe ocean acidification indirectly. Confounding factors and limitations of algorithms are major sources of errors. This article also discusses remote-sensing algorithms and satellite technology developments. Remote sensing, considering its great advantages and successful applications in climate change, will be an important tool in future studies of ocean acidification.
Acknowledgements
This work was jointly supported by research projects awarded to Dr D.L. Tang: (1) The CAS/SAFEA International Partnership Programme for Creative Research Teams (KZCX2-YW-T001, KZCX2-YW-213); (2) National Natural Sciences Foundation of China (40976091, 31061160190); (3) Key Project of Knowledge Innovation Programme, Chinese Academy of Sciences (KZCX2-YW-226, SQ200912, SQ201004). The authors thank Prof. N. Ramaiah (National Institute of Oceanography, India), Prof. Louis Legendre (Laboratoire d'Oceanographie de Villefranche, France) and Prof. Jim Gower for their comments on the manuscript.