Biomass Storage in Anoxic Marine Basins: Initial estimates of geochemical impacts and CO2 sequestration capacity

Abstract

In combination with dramatic and immediate CO2 emissions reductions, net-negative atmospheric CO2 removal (CDR) is necessary to maintain average global temperature increases below 2.0 °C. Many proposed CDR pathways involve the placement of vast quantities of organic carbon (biomass) on the seafloor in some form, but little is known about their potential biogeochemical impacts, especially at scales relevant for global climate. Here, we evaluate the potential impacts and durability of organic carbon storage specifically within deep anoxic basins, where organic matter is remineralized through anaerobic processes that may enhance its storage efficiency. We present simple biogeochemical and mixing models to quantify the scale of potential impacts of large-scale organic matter addition to the abyssal seafloor in the Black Sea, Cariaco Basin, and the hypersaline Orca Basin. These calculations reveal that the Black Sea in particular may have the potential to accept biomass storage at climatically-relevant scales with moderate changes to the geochemical state of abyssal water and limited communication of that impact to surface water. Many key unknowns remain, including the partitioning of breakdown among sulfate-reducing and methanogenic metabolisms and the fate of methane in the environment, which can be monitored in part via changes in alkalinity, DIC, and pH. Given the urgency of responsible CDR development and the potential for anoxic basins to reduce ecological risks to animal communities, efforts to address knowledge gaps related to microbial kinetics, benthic processes, and physical mixing in these systems are critically needed.