Water saving aspirations could be doing more to protect the planet than it seems, in light of findings from the University of Georgia.

Researchers at the academic institution looked at how the world's oceans are able to store carbon dioxide, preventing the greenhouse gas from escaping into the atmosphere.

However, they discovered that liquid seawater is significantly less able to trap the gas than solid ice at the poles.

That is because it quickly becomes filled with carbon dioxide at a concentration similar to that of the atmosphere overhead.

"Our research shows that, as the ice melts, the carbon dioxide in the water very quickly reaches equilibrium with the atmosphere," says lead author on the study Wei-Jun Cai.

"So its use as a place to store carbon dioxide declines dramatically and quickly."

While water saving may not directly increase the amount of ice in the world's oceans, it can help to cut carbon dioxide levels.

The UK government's Act on CO2 campaign advises that the typical family has a carbon footprint of 1.5 tonnes due purely to their use of water each year.