Ocean carbon storage boosted by alkalinity enhancement, finds open-water trial
Pilot project in Gulf of Maine assessing ocean geoengineering approach, finds it boosts carbon dioxide uptake
As the world struggles to cut emissions, attention has turned to carbon capture as part of the climate solution – plucking carbon from the air and locking it away long term. One novel approach is to increase ocean alkalinity, which forces it to draw down additional carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This week, a US team revealed promising provisional results from an experiment of ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) in an open marine environment. They say they quantified the carbon uptake while observing minimal impact on the ecosystem.