The ocean as part of the global carbon cycle

The ocean plays a central role in the global carbon cycle being by far the largest active reservoir. Atmospheric CO₂ level depends on the CO₂concentration in the ocean surface layer, which is relatively low compared to mean oceanic values due to biological and physical carbon pumps. Although the ocean may take up much of the carbon released by the increased burning of fossil fuels, this capacity is limited because of the chemical buffering and a mismatch in time scales (oceanic mixing is much slower than anthropogenic perturbations).