Hance, J. (2023, January 25). Re-carbonizing the sea: Scientists to start testing a Big Ocean
Carbon Idea. Mongabay Environmental News. Retrieved January 25, 2023, from https://news.mongabay.com/2023/01/re-carbonizing-the-sea-scientists-to-start-testing-a-big-ocean-carbon-idea/
Funded by various organizations and grants, Ocean alkalinity enhancement targets climate change by releasing minerals like crushed olivine into the ocean, sparking a chemical reaction to increase the ocean’s alkalinity. Simultaneously, it traps CO2 from the air and mitigates ocean acidification. However, many OAE poses many risks as it may damage ocean wildlife and ecosystems, but the benefits may outweigh these risks as OAE can allow the ocean to store excess CO2 in the earth’s atmosphere. Field tests and additional research will be done to determine the reliability and safety of OAE. While field tests may have seemingly small impacts, it’s important not to “confuse the environmental impacts that may occur with a controlled field trial with the potential environmental impacts of scaling this to a gigaton scale industry.” Scientists are taking this project very seriously, as it could potentially scale back the impacts of climate change.
I see that doing this helps the ocean become less acidic and helps trap more CO2 while also having some drawbacks as it affects the climate and ecosystems under water. What is your opinion on OAE and do you think it’s worth studying this more to apply in the future.
Thanks for reading! I do think it is worth studying further, and if we can find a way to implement this without harming wildlife it would be a great step towards sustainably recarbonizing the sea.