Natural Analogs to Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement

Subhas, Adam V.; Lehmann, Nadine; Rickaby, Rosalind E. M.

doi:10.5194/sp-2023-5

2023

DOI: 10.5194/sp-2023-5

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Natural Analogs to Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement

Adam V. Subhas

Nadine Lehmann

Rosalind E. M. Rickaby

Abstract: Abstract. Ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) research can be supplemented by studying the natural alkalinity cycle. In this chapter, we introduce the concept of natural analogs to ocean alkalinity enhancement. We describe earth system processes relevant to OAE deployment and its measurement, reporting, and verification. We then describe some suitable natural analog locations that could serve as study sites to understand how these processes may interact with OAE. Approaches to examining the geological record ar… Show more

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Cited by 4 publications

References 33 publications

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Data reporting and sharing for ocean alkalinity enhancement research

2023

Guide to Best Practices in Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement Research

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Effective management of data is essential for successful ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) research, as it guarantees the long-term preservation, interoperability, discoverability, and accessibility of data. OAE research generates various types of data, such as discrete bottle measurements, autonomous measurements from surface underway and uncrewed platforms (e.g., moorings, Saildrones, gliders, Argo floats), physiological response studies (e.g., laboratory, mesocosm, and field experiments, and natural analogues), and model outputs. This paper addresses data and metadata standards for all these types of OAE data. As part of this study, existing data standards have been updated to accommodate OAE research needs, and a completely new physiological response data standard has been introduced. Additionally, an existing ocean acidification metadata template has been upgraded to be applicable to OAE research. This paper also presents controlled vocabularies for OAE research, including types of OAE studies, source materials for alkalinization, platforms, and instruments. These guidelines will aid OAE researchers in preparing their metadata and data for submission to permanent archives. Finally, the paper provides information about available data assembly centers that OAE researchers can utilize for their data needs. The guidelines outlined in this paper are applicable to ocean acidification research as well. IntroductionData management plays a crucial role in bridging the gap between field observations and subsequent research based on these data (Brett et al., 2020). It is an essential component of ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) research to help evaluate its potential environmental risks and co-benefits, understand its effectiveness and scalability, and support its measurement reporting and verification (MRV) efforts for car-bon credit accounting. Specifically, effective data management enables long-term preservation of data, ensures compliance with uniform metadata and data standards, facilitates interoperability and compatibility, and enables data discovery and access (de La Beaujardière et al., 2010).Long-term preservation can be achieved by publishing data in archives and preserving them in non-proprietary, archivable formats to ensure accessibility and retrievability

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Data reporting and sharing for ocean alkalinity enhancement research

2023

Guide to Best Practices in Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement Research

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General considerations for experimental research on ocean alkalinity enhancement

2023

Guide to Best Practices in Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement Research

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Ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) is proposed as an approach to capture carbon by adding alkaline substances to seawater to enhance the ocean's natural carbon sink. These substances include minerals, such as olivine, or artificial substances, such as lime or some industrial byproducts. Deployment of OAE will lead to complex and dynamic changes in the seawater carbonate chemistry, and in some cases the addition of other compounds and impurities from the minerals. While OAE alters the carbonate chemistry in a very different way, much can be learned from the abundant literature on ocean acidification documenting the impact of changes in the carbonate chemistry on marine life from genes to ecosystems. A vast majority of the experimental work was performed by manipulating the concentration of carbon dioxide in seawater under constant alkalinity (TA) to simulate near-future ocean acidification. Understanding the impact of changes in alkalinity on marine species and the ecosystem is less understood. In the context of OAE, it is critical to resolve such impacts, alone or in combination with other compounds and impurities from the minerals to be co-released during implementation, to ensure that any field manipulation does not translate into damaging biological effects. As for other environmental drivers, this will require an understanding across all the levels of biological organizations from species to ecosystems over relevant time exposure considering the method of deployment (e.g., dilution, repeated exposure) and factors such as local adaptation. Such complex questions cannot be resolved using a single approach, and a combination of monitoring, modeling, laboratory, natural (i.e., proxies or analogs), and field experiments will be required. This chapter summarizes some key general considerations for experimental design. It also compares strengths and weaknesses of the different approaches. We will also consider best practices relevant to OAE such as the need to properly monitor and consider the addition of trace elements and byproducts, as well as potential interactions with other naturally occurring drivers. Identifying a relevant questionA pre-requisite to the selection of a given research approach or strategy is to define a clear question. For a safe and efficient implementation of ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) one needs to answer several key questions, including those given below.-What are the best implementation methods to optimize efficiency and minimize risks?-Is the implementation of OAE safe for marine species and ecosystems?These questions are too big and complex to be resolved by a single experiment or approach. Fully addressing these would require a large-scale involvement of the scientific community and strong international and multi-disciplinary collaboration. Specifically, in order to fully understand and project the ecological consequences of OAE, a suite of mechanistic based models will need to be developed and connected

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Field experiments in ocean alkalinity enhancement research

2023

Guide to Best Practices in Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement Research

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This chapter focuses on considerations for conducting open-system field experiments in the context of ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) research. By conducting experiments in real-world marine and coastal systems, researchers can gain valuable insights into ecological dynamics; biogeochemical cycles; and the safety, efficacy, and scalability of OAE techniques under natural conditions. However, logistical constraints and complex natural dynamics pose challenges. To date, only a limited number of OAE field studies have been conducted, and guidelines for such experiments are still evolving. Due to the fast pace of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) research and development, we advocate for openly sharing data, knowledge, and lessons learned as quickly and efficiently as possible within the broader OAE community and beyond. Considering the potential ecological and societal consequences of field experiments, active engagement with the public and other stakeholders is desirable, while collaboration, data sharing, and transdisciplinary scientific teams can maximize the return on investment. The outcomes of early field experiments are likely to shape the future of OAE research, implementation, and public acceptance, emphasizing the need for transparent and open scientific practices.

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Natural Analogs to Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement

Cited by 4 publications

References 33 publications

Data reporting and sharing for ocean alkalinity enhancement research

Data reporting and sharing for ocean alkalinity enhancement research

General considerations for experimental research on ocean alkalinity enhancement

Field experiments in ocean alkalinity enhancement research

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