Why Does the CaCO3 Compensation Process in Ocean Acidification Work So Slowly?

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Ocean acidification is a complex process influenced by the balance between calcium carbonate (CaCO3) deposition on the sea floor and the influx of calcium ions (Ca2+) and carbonate ions (CO32-) from land weathering. This balance, known as CaCO3 compensation, stabilizes ocean pH over thousands of years. The discussion highlights the critical difference between rapid and slow CO2 emissions, noting that fast releases lead to significant acidification, while gradual releases historically did not have the same impact. The slow nature of CaCO3 compensation is attributed to the long geological timescales required for the processes involved, which include the dissolution and precipitation of minerals. For further understanding, references to research by David Archer are provided, which delve into the chemistry of ocean acidification and its long-term implications.
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Hi. I've been doing some reading about ocean acidification lately, and there is one concept that I don't understand, and that I can't find a good explanation for. This is a good forum, and I hoped that you could help me.

When I read about ocean acidification on Real Climate's post on this topic they say:
"The natural pH of the ocean is determined by a need to balance the deposition and burial of CaCO3 on the sea floor against the influx of Ca2+ and CO32- into the ocean from dissolving rocks on land, called weathering. These processes stabilize the pH of the ocean, by a mechanism called CaCO3 compensation. CaCO3 compensation works on time scales of thousands of years or so."

http://www.realclimate.org/index.ph...em-with-cosub2sub-emission/langswitch_lang/wp

I understand that this is a critical point about the whole process, which you need to consider to understand how fast and massive release of CO2 will make the oceans more acid, while slow and massive release (like what have in the past) don't need to create the same effect.

But I do not understand WHY the CaCO3 compensation works so slowly. Can anyone help me by explaining this, or direct me to a good informative site?

Oh, and: The RealClimate post is based on this research: Caldeira, K., and Wickett, M.E. Anthropogenic carbon and ocean pH. Nature: 425, 365, 2003.
 
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