Author: Grace Enjia Xu
Editors: Miriam Heikal, Emily Yu
Artist: Grace Enjia Xu
With the increasing attention on climate change today, people often first think of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is an essential component in regulating the earth’s temperature. As a greenhouse gas, it absorbs heat radiating from the earth’s surface and redirects it back to the earth. Without carbon dioxide, the earth’s greenhouse gas effect would be too weak, causing it to freeze. However, when excessive carbon dioxide is released, it supercharges the earth’s natural greenhouse effect causing climate change.
Despite its role in climate change, carbon is more than just an element associated with carbon emissions–it is the building block of life. Carbon is crucial for all organic molecules that help sustain living organisms. It is found in everything from diamonds to DNA. Naturally, the amount of carbon on Earth remains constant, cycling through different organisms and ecosystems. The carbon cycle functions by recycling carbon, allowing it to move continuously through the atmosphere, plants, animals, oceans, and soil. Through photosynthesis, plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air, while respiration releases it back. Natural environments such as forests and oceans act as carbon sinks, absorbing carbon. However, human activities disrupt this balance by releasing excess carbon, causing it to accumulate in the lower layer of the atmosphere (the troposphere) and intensifying the greenhouse effect.
While reducing carbon emissions caused by human activity is essential, what can be done about the carbon already released into the atmosphere? A non-profit organization called Additional Ventures proposed researching ocean alkalinity enhancement methods. These methods involve using alkaline substances to help the ocean absorb more excess carbon beyond the 25% it already absorbs in the carbon cycle. Currently, ocean water is slightly basic, with a pH of 8.2, due in part to dissolved minerals like calcium carbonate from shells and rocks. However, carbon emissions from fossil fuels and deforestation increase oceanic carbon dioxide levels, forming carbonic acid, which lowers the pH. This acidification disrupts marine ecosystems, as hydrogen ions replace carbonate ions, reducing the availability of calcium carbonate needed by shellfish, plankton, and corals to build their skeletons.
The aim of the ocean alkalinity enhancement is to add alkaline substances, such as limestone to form bicarbonate ions. These stable ions accept hydrogens, reducing oceanic carbon dioxide without further acidification. As opposed to ocean acidification, increasing alkaline substances enhances the ocean’s buffer capacity, allowing more carbon sequestration. This process allows carbon dioxide to be stored for centuries or even millennia, mitigating acidification and supporting the organisms dependent on calcium carbonate. Essentially, this chemical reaction transforms the ocean into a larger carbon sink similar to how an antacid pill neutralizes stomach acid–except, instead of providing relief for heartburn, it is used for the ocean.
Overall, this new technology is promising but often faces controversy about its implementation. The amount of carbon removed by the tool cannot be easily quantified, and many have debated over the ecological risks of depositing alkaline materials into the ocean. Either way, this tool has been used by Planetary and Ebb Carbon to remove over 100 tons of carbon. Additionally, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has affirmed that ocean alkalinity enhancement is one of the most cost-effective and long-term solutions for capturing carbon emissions and mitigating climate change. With continued research and development, this technology could play a crucial role in reducing carbon emissions.
Citations:
“How an Antacid for the Ocean Could Cool the Earth - the Washington Post.” Climate
Solutions, 3 Jan. 2025, www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2025/01/03/ocean-
US Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “What Is
the Carbon Cycle?” NOAA’s National Ocean Service, 2 Apr. 2019,
16, ByStephanie Safdieupdated Jan. “Why Is Carbon Essential to Life?” Greenly, 16 Jan.
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