Carbonate buffer factor Revelle

The Revelle factor is about 10 for typical surface seawater. The details of the chemistry of this general relationship and its derivation have also been discussed by Sundquist et al. (1979), who called it the "homogeneous buffer" factor. Of interest is the fact that using the Revelle factor one can calculate for an instantaneous change in the Pco2 °f the atmosphere, the distribution of carbon between the atmosphere and seawater. 

As discussed above, the chemistry of carbon in seawater is such that less than 1% of the carbon exists as dissolved CO2. More than 99% of the DlC exists as bicarbonate and carbonate anions (Table 3). The chemical equilibrium among these three forms of DlC is responsible for the high solubility of CO2 in the oceans. It also sets up a buffer for changes in oceanic carbon. The buffer factor (or Revelle factor), is dehned as follows ... 

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