[cogitator]

I am increasingly persuaded that CO2 is an ~effect~ of climate change, not a cause. The oceans are a massive gas sink. As ocean temperatures rise, the solubility of CO2 in seawater goes down-- more gas is released into the atmosphere. When ocean temperatures decrease, more CO2 is dissolved into the water. I think the capacity of the world's oceans to alter the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere makes any effort on our part... moot.

See post 96. While this effect does happen, it is not nearly as significant as you think. In fact, careful measurements by oceanographers at thousands of locations in the ocean, both in the water and in the overlying atmosphere, indicate that the ocean waters are currently a net sink for CO2. If they were not, then based on estimates of industrial emissions, atmospheric CO2 concentrations would have risen much faster than has been observed. Approximately 50% of total human industrial CO2 emissions are estimated to have been absorbed by the oceans since the "dawn" of the Industrial Age.

I can provide links to some of this research, both explained in layman's terms or to the actual research papers, if you're interested. Also check out my profile, point #5, sub-point #1, and reference 8.

[palmer]

In fact, careful measurements by oceanographers at thousands of locations in the ocean, both in the water and in the overlying atmosphere, indicate that the ocean waters are currently a net sink for CO2

"Careful" doesn't mean inclusive or necessarily accurate. The net sink argument might be true for recent measurements but there's no way to know if the ocean was a net sink less recently (before those "careful" measurements could be made).

The bottom line is most of today's CO2 spike is man-made and some is natural and the proportions are basically impossible to determine.