ABSTRACT
Carbon dioxide, being soluble in water, appears in lakes, streams, rain, and so forth, sometimes in surprisingly large quantities. Water circulation is a key contributor to the fate of carbon dioxide on Earth’s surface. The rates at which rivers deposit substances, including carbon dioxide and its derivatives, into the oceans varies, undoubtedly, with the flow rate of individual rivers. Streams and rivers frequently have an excess of carbon dioxide compared to the amount equilibrated with the atmosphere. Most of the carbon dioxide in the ocean is in the form of bicarbonate. The ocean convections carry high pH and high carbonate concentrations in the North Atlantic down to great depths. The visible spectacle of microbial activity at deep sea hydrothermal vents is the transient “blooms” of bacteria that accompany subsurface volcanic eruptions. Greater than 75% of Earth’s volcanic activity takes place the sea surface.
