Ocean Deacidification Project

Rising carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentrations in the atmosphere are making the ocean more acidic, which can have devastating impacts on coral reefs and other marine ecosystems. One possible solution is to add alkaline material, like quicklime (calcium oxide), to seawater. This process could both help remove (CO₂) from the atmosphere by storing it in the ocean and reduce ocean acidification. However, there is a tradeoff: the more (CO₂) a given amount of alkaline material helps removes from the atmosphere, the less it reverses acidification (this is because CO₂ dissolved in seawater is what causes ocean acidification in the first place).

The Ocean Deacidification project will explore this tradeoff. How do different physical, chemical, and ecological conditions affect the balance between (CO₂) removal and deacidification when alkaline material is added? And how do the specifics of how alkalinity is added – what kind of material is used, in what quantities, at what depths, in what particle sizes, etc. – affect this tradeoff?

By using a simple, one-dimensional computer model that can run countless simulations, we can explore a wide range of possibilities and develop intuitions about the key factors driving this tradeoff. These insights will inform effective recommendations for climate mitigation policy.