Fig. 3: Global impacts of slower silica dissolution under OA.
From: Enhanced silica export in a future ocean triggers global diatom decline
a, Differences in the global vertical distribution of Si(OH)4 (zonally averaged for the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean), including a depiction of the OA-driven downward transport of Si and its trapping in the deep ocean. AABW, Antarctic bottom water; AAIW, Antarctic intermediate water; CDW, circumpolar deep water; NADW, North Atlantic deep water; NPDW, North Pacific deep water; SAMW, sub-Antarctic mode water. b, OA effect on global diatom biomass under RCP8.5 and RCP6.0 emission scenarios. c, Spatial distribution of the difference in diatom biomass. Results show the net effect of the OA-driven slowdown of silica dissolution (ΔOA), given as the difference to the standard model configuration (that is, including impacts of climate change, but excluding OA effects on Si dissolution). Panels a and c show results from year 2200 of the RCP8.5 simulation. See Extended Data Table 3 and Extended Data Fig. 5 for additional results and visualizations.
