The Revelle factor

The Revelle factor measures how much carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the ocean’s surface water affects the amount of CO₂ that can dissolve there. It reflects the ocean's capacity to absorb additional CO₂ without significantly changing its chemistry. A higher Revelle factor means the ocean’s ability to take in more CO₂ diminishes more quickly as CO₂ levels increase, partly because of chemical reactions that buffer CO₂. Essentially, it indicates the efficiency of the ocean as a carbon sink and helps us understand how much CO₂ the ocean can still absorb before reaching limits that could influence climate change.