WHOI plans experiment to combat climate change in waters Southwest of Nantucket
WHOI plans experiment to combat climate change in waters Southwest of Nantucket
Published 8 July 2024 Press releases , Science Leave a Comment
Starting this August, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution will conduct a small-scale study on the effects of ocean alkalinity enhancement, a process that artificially increases the pH of ocean water to combat human-caused ocean acidification. The experiment will be conducted in the waters southwest of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard.
Dubbed the “LOC-NESS” project – short for Locking away Ocean Carbon in the Northeast Shelf and Slope – the experiment involves the dumping of 20 metric tonnes of sodium hydroxide (also known as lye and caustic soda) and up to 75 kilograms of tracer dye into the ocean followed by five days of on-site, 24-hour monitoring of alkalinity dispersal, CO2 uptake, and environmental impacts.
The experiment will be “one of the first of its kind in the world, and the first of its kind in the Northeast United States.”
If successful, ocean alkalinity enhancement could increase the ocean’s ability to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, lessening the effects of climate change. As the world’s biggest carbon sink, the ocean is a key part of the fight against climate change, and a more alkaline ocean can sequester more carbon—and is healthier for aquatic life. Carbon dioxide interacts with naturally occurring chemicals in ocean water to form bicarbonate, which can store carbon dioxide longer than most biological sinks. By pouring sodium hydroxide into the water, Woods Hole hopes to test whether humans can boost ocean alkalinity and reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide in one stroke.
“Given society’s current emissions trajectory, it has become clear in recent years that major emission reductions must now be supplemented by efforts to actively remove existing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere,” according to the study proposal. “Supplementing emissions reductions with carbon dioxide removal, or CDR, is becoming a critical strategy for meeting internationally accepted climate mitigation targets outlined in the Paris Climate Agreement and reaffirmed at the conclusion of the COP28 UN climate conference in Dubai.”
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JohnCarl McGrady, Nantucket Current, 7 July 2024. Press release.
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