Sequestration of Carbon in the Oceans

The increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is the reasons behind climate change. Much of the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide is due to human activity. Carbonify.com puts November's levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide at 385.99 parts per million. That is the highest it has been for November in the last 50years, and 100 ppm higher than pre-industrial times(a).

In efforts to reverse the carbon dioxide emissions, scientists have created very innovative ways of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. I read an article in Science Daily about using the Ocean to trap excess CO2 emissions. I did a little more research and found that scientists have been developing many ways to use the Ocean as a tool against climate change.

There are two methods under research at the moment for trapping carbon dioxide in the ocean. One method is injecting liquefied carbon dioxide into the deep ocean. Presumably, the pressure at the bottom of the ocean is strong enough to keep carbon dioxide from escaping from it's liquid form. "At great depths, CO2 is denser than sea water, and it may be possible to store it on the bottom as liquid or deposits of icy hydrates,"(b)

The second method under research is fertilizing the oceans. Phytoplankton on the surface of the ocean remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere pretty efficiently. Fertilizing the oceans with iron would promote phytoplankton growth and increase carbon dioxide removal with the assumption that the CO2 consumed by these microorganisms would sink to the bottom of the ocean and remain sequestered there or be consumed with the phytoplankton by fish(b).

However brilliant these methods may seem, they are simply hypotheses and may fail. My concern is that testing these methods would mean experimenting with the delicate ecosystems that exist in the oceans.

Water and carbon dioxide mix together to form carbonic acid(b). High levels of carbonic acid in the oceans could change the pH and have adverse effects on the organisms living in them. The last thing we need is to disrupt another ecosystem.

Fertilizing the oceans may have adverse effects as well. It is not known for certain that the carbon sequestered in the phytoplankton will sink to the bottom, nor is it known what happens to carbon once it sinks to the bottom (b). One experiment done in the Antarctic Ocean found that "seven weeks after the experiment ended a distinct pattern of iron-fertilized plankton was still visible from space -- 'which means the fixed carbon was still at the surface.'"

Further detail on these experiment can be found at the links below.

Carbon sequestration sounds like an interesting idea, however, it is only a quick fix to the massive problem at hand. It will never work to eliminate excess emissions of CO2 if we continue life as we do. Changes must be made to reduce CO2 emissions so that our oceans don't have to pick up the slack.

(a) http://www.carbonify.com/carbon-dioxide-levels.htm
Visit this website. It provides up to date information about current atmospheric CO2 levels as well as historical data and tips on reducing our carbon footprint.

(b)http://www.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/sea-carb-bish.html

(c)http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080218134635.htm

Here is a link to a graph on thedailygreen.com showing trends in CO2 emissions over the last fifty years

http://www.thedailygreen.com/cm/thedailygreen/images/sY/carbon-dioxide-trend-lg.jpg