The linked equilibria among dissolved carbon dioxide, bicarbonate, carbonate and hydrogen ions in seawater. At a fixed alkalinity, added carbon changes speciation and acidity, limiting how much extra carbon can be held at a given atmospheric partial pressure. Exchange and chemical partitioning therefore do not behave like irreversible destruction by a single first-order sink.
Adjustment of ocean and sediment carbonate chemistry through dissolution or burial of carbonate minerals. Following a carbon-dioxide perturbation, additional carbonate dissolution can increase alkalinity and permit further ocean uptake. The adjustment is much slower than surface gas exchange, operating over millennial timescales.
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