Earth Science Today
Russ Colson
Minnesota State University Moorhead
 
Suppose that the warming atmosphere warms the oceans.  What consequences will that have on the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere?  (think about CO2 in your can of coke)
 
One answer:
Just like a warm coke holds less CO2 (and goes flat) than a cold coke, less CO2 would dissolve in a warmer ocean.  Some of the CO2 now in the oceans would evaporate into the atmosphere, potentially increasing the temperature further and leading to a runaway greenhouse effect.
 

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