Emergent phenomena

Beyond the explicit phenomena described above, a Biogeochemical-Argo system would provide a unique data set that might reveal unanticipated, emergent phenomena. Our prior history of atmospheric CO₂ observations has shown a variety of such phenomena that are now well accepted, but which were not anticipated. These include the discovery of seasonal cycles of CO₂ in the atmosphere due to the seasonal changes in photosynthesis and respiration on land and the effect of El Niño climate oscillations on atmospheric CO₂ concentrations.

Areas of concern might include the effects of deoxygenation and ecosystem shifts that might result from acidification or warming. Recent analyses of climate records and numerical models suggest that interactions of wind and ocean circulation have the potential to produce large, rapid climate shifts ([Mayewski et al., 2015]; [Rodgers et al., 2014]) that may ripple into ecosystem processes and carbon cycling.