Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Ekman Pumping, Suction and Spirals: Vitally Important for Inorganic and Organic Carbon Sequestration
In order to understand how gases like CO2 are sequestered (stored) in the ocean, it is very important to understand Ekman pumping (pumping of water from the surface to ocean depths hundreds of meters down), Ekman sucking (upwelling of cold nutrient laden water from hundreds of meters down to the surface), the Ekman spiral, and other such phenomena.
In this tutorial style video, I attempt to explain these vital concepts, since they are essential processes for sequestering carbon in the worlds oceans.
Presently, about 26% of human carbon emissions are absorbed (captured) into the ocean, and there are potential ways to increase this sequestration to lower atmospheric CO2 levels quickly.
Be sure to watch my two recent videos on these topics:
Climate Restoration by 2050 via Localized Ocean Fertilization - LOF with Iron in Downwelling Eddies
youtu.be/MR-9NvW8NI4?si=RJr1q1BvvloHPh0b
My Most Important Video in Years: Oceanic Uptake of CO2 Enhanced by Mesoscale Eddies
youtu.be/HK9UaudgEow?si=VY81DCIuWT1_m7ca
Please donate to PaulBeckwith.net to support my research and videos connecting the dots on abrupt climate system mayhem.
GoFundMe: gofundme.com/f/help-paul-continue-his-climate-emergency-research
Please subscribe to my YouTube channel. As well as my website, and YouTube, you can find me on Patreon, Facebook, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Instagram, Reddit (multiple climate channels within), Quora, TikTok, Discord, Mastodon, Twitch, Vimeo, Bluesky, TruthSocial, Threads, Substack, Tumblr, Pinterest, etc...
References and Links
Peer-reviewed paper: Oceanic uptake of CO2 enhanced by mesoscale eddies
science.org/doi/epdf/10.1126/sciadv.adt4195
Abstract
Oceanic mesoscale eddies play a crucial but underexplored role in regulating carbon fluxes and climate change. While they redistribute heat, salt, nutrients, and other tracers, their effects on CO2 uptake remain uncertain. Using observation-based machine learning to estimate CO2 fluxes throughout the lifetimes of thousands of eddies, we show that anticyclonic eddies substantially enhance CO2 uptake on average, while cyclonic eddies marginally di-minish it. This asymmetry yields an overall net increase in CO2 absorption by 9.98 ± 2.28 and 13.82 ± 9.94% in the Kuroshio Extension and Gulf Stream, respectively, major carbon sequestration regions. The primary driver of this enhanced uptake is the downward pumping of dissolved inorganic carbon within anticyclonic eddies. Asymmetric biological responses between anticyclonic and cyclonic eddies contribute to the overall eddy-induced CO 2 flux imbalance. The finding suggests a potential underestimation of the ocean’s capacity for carbon sequestration be-cause of insufficient incorporation of eddies in current observations, emphasizing the need for expanded monitoring in eddy-rich, under sampled regions.
Wikipedia page: USS Jeannette (1878)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Jeannette_(1878)
Wikipedia page: Nansen's Fram expedition
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nansen%27s_Fram_expedition
Wikipedia page: Vilhelm Bjerknes (father of meteorology (weather))
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vilhelm_Bjerknes
Wikipedia page : Vagn Walfrid Ekman
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vagn_Walfrid_Ekman
Wikipedia page: Ekman Transport
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ekman_transport#Ekman_layer
Additional Ekman information:
perplexity.ai/search/plot-ekman-depth-as-a-function-9q7i5gPkSW.9If9mzlTwow
perplexity.ai/search/plot-ekman-depth-as-a-function-9q7i5gPkSW.9If9mzlTwow?sm=i
Wikipedia page: Coriolis force
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coriolis_force
Wikipedia page: Photic Zone
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photic_zone
Please donate to PaulBeckwith.net to support my research and videos connecting the dots on abrupt climate system mayhem.
GoFundMe: gofundme.com/f/help-paul-continue-his-climate-emergency-research
Please subscribe to my YouTube channel. As well as my website, and YouTube, you can find me on Patreon, Facebook, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Instagram, Reddit (multiple climate channels within), Quora, TikTok, Discord, Mastodon, Twitch, Vimeo, Bluesky, TruthSocial, Threads, Substack, Tumblr, Pinterest, etc...
Ekman Pumping, Suction and Spirals: Vitally Important for Inorganic and Organic Carbon Sequestration
In order to understand how gases like CO2 are sequestered (stored) in the ocean, it is very important to understand Ekman pumping (pumping of water from the surface to ocean depths hundreds of meters down), Ekman sucking (upwelling of cold nutrient laden water from hundreds of meters down to the surface), the Ekman spiral, and other such phenomena.
In this tutorial style video, I attempt to explain these vital concepts, since they are essential processes for sequestering carbon in the worlds oceans.
Presently, about 26% of human carbon emissions are absorbed (captured) into the ocean, and there are potential ways to increase this sequestration to lower atmospheric CO2 levels quickly.
Be sure to watch my two recent videos on these topics:
Climate Restoration by 2050 via Localized Ocean Fertilization - LOF with Iron in Downwelling Eddies
youtu.be/MR-9NvW8NI4?si=RJr1q1BvvloHPh0b
My Most Important Video in Years: Oceanic Uptake of CO2 Enhanced by Mesoscale Eddies
youtu.be/HK9UaudgEow?si=VY81DCIuWT1_m7ca
Please donate to PaulBeckwith.net to support my research and videos connecting the dots on abrupt climate system mayhem.
GoFundMe: gofundme.com/f/help-paul-continue-his-climate-emergency-research
Please subscribe to my YouTube channel. As well as my website, and YouTube, you can find me on Patreon, Facebook, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Instagram, Reddit (multiple climate channels within), Quora, TikTok, Discord, Mastodon, Twitch, Vimeo, Bluesky, TruthSocial, Threads, Substack, Tumblr, Pinterest, etc...
References and Links
Peer-reviewed paper: Oceanic uptake of CO2 enhanced by mesoscale eddies
science.org/doi/epdf/10.1126/sciadv.adt4195
Abstract
Oceanic mesoscale eddies play a crucial but underexplored role in regulating carbon fluxes and climate change. While they redistribute heat, salt, nutrients, and other tracers, their effects on CO2 uptake remain uncertain. Using observation-based machine learning to estimate CO2 fluxes throughout the lifetimes of thousands of eddies, we show that anticyclonic eddies substantially enhance CO2 uptake on average, while cyclonic eddies marginally di-minish it. This asymmetry yields an overall net increase in CO2 absorption by 9.98 ± 2.28 and 13.82 ± 9.94% in the Kuroshio Extension and Gulf Stream, respectively, major carbon sequestration regions. The primary driver of this enhanced uptake is the downward pumping of dissolved inorganic carbon within anticyclonic eddies. Asymmetric biological responses between anticyclonic and cyclonic eddies contribute to the overall eddy-induced CO 2 flux imbalance. The finding suggests a potential underestimation of the ocean’s capacity for carbon sequestration be-cause of insufficient incorporation of eddies in current observations, emphasizing the need for expanded monitoring in eddy-rich, under sampled regions.
Wikipedia page: USS Jeannette (1878)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Jeannette_(1878)
Wikipedia page: Nansen's Fram expedition
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nansen%27s_Fram_expedition
Wikipedia page: Vilhelm Bjerknes (father of meteorology (weather))
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vilhelm_Bjerknes
Wikipedia page : Vagn Walfrid Ekman
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vagn_Walfrid_Ekman
Wikipedia page: Ekman Transport
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ekman_transport#Ekman_layer
Additional Ekman information:
perplexity.ai/search/plot-ekman-depth-as-a-function-9q7i5gPkSW.9If9mzlTwow
perplexity.ai/search/plot-ekman-depth-as-a-function-9q7i5gPkSW.9If9mzlTwow?sm=i
Wikipedia page: Coriolis force
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coriolis_force
Wikipedia page: Photic Zone
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photic_zone
Please donate to PaulBeckwith.net to support my research and videos connecting the dots on abrupt climate system mayhem.
GoFundMe: gofundme.com/f/help-paul-continue-his-climate-emergency-research
Please subscribe to my YouTube channel. As well as my website, and YouTube, you can find me on Patreon, Facebook, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Instagram, Reddit (multiple climate channels within), Quora, TikTok, Discord, Mastodon, Twitch, Vimeo, Bluesky, TruthSocial, Threads, Substack, Tumblr, Pinterest, etc...
