Impact of climate change on Southern Ocean sink for CO2 and marine ecosystems

Marine ecosystems (here referring to plankton assemblages) play an important role in climate because they maintain the atmospheric concentration of CO2 at 200 ppm lower than it would be in the absence of sinking organic matter in the ocean. Marine ecosystems also form the base of the marine food chain and thereby influence the availability of food resources. Thus, changes in their structure or turnover rates could have implications for other ecosystems.