Connor Chang

What is the importance of carbon dioxide removal in the ocean, and why is nutrient fertilization the carbon dioxide removal strategy we should be focusing on?

Started May 4, 2023

Abstract or project description

Over the past few hundred years, atmospheric levels of CO2 and other greenhouse gasses have increased because of the burning of fossil fuels and alterations of the terrestrial biosphere. As a result, the effects of climate change have become more severe and unbearable for vulnerable populations. While this has caused countries to begin reducing greenhouse gas emissions, there is a pressing need for carbon dioxide removal techniques to help lower levels of CO2. By either removing carbon from the atmosphere or allowing the ocean to absorb more carbon, CDR can help remove excess carbon from the atmosphere. It offers the potential to achieve negative emissions, which can be crucial in achieving global climate goals and limiting temperature rise. Nutrient fertilization, specifically, is a potentially effective and well-researched strategy. This method involves the addition of limiting nutrients such as iron to the ocean, which enhances primary production and the biological pump. The first section of this paper will consider different possible methods of marine CDR such as artificial upwelling/downwelling, alkalinity enhancement, and nutrient fertilization. The second section will compare each of these methods in different categories, such as cost, scalability, and efficacy. In the discussion, these comparisons will be used will be reflected on to show why we should focus our resources on developing nutrient fertilization as opposed to other methods of mCDR. It will also explore the future impacts that could come if we do not focus on developing a CDR method and the next steps we could take to prevent these outcomes.